


I am your summer

by magical-illusion13 (coldnightairinmylungs)



Category: Kaylor - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Basketball, Alternate Universe - Olympics, Angst, F/F, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-07-19 20:42:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19980199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldnightairinmylungs/pseuds/magical-illusion13
Summary: Hindsight is 20/20. It takes two summers for Taylor and Karlie to understand what that really means.





	1. Part I - TAYLOR

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends! I am back with another story. I hope you like this one. No actual knowledge of basketball is required to understand it. I tried non-linear storytelling for the first time, so please give feedback! Thank you for reading.

Hindsight is 20/20. Taylor has always known that saying, but now she understands it. No, she really gets it now. She looks back at last summer, and at all the little things that connect it to this summer.

Really, it had all been Cara’s fault. Had Cara not gone home early, Taylor would have known what she was getting herself into. Or she would have stayed out of it. In any way, she wouldn’t be about to face the probably most embarrassing moment of her life. It had all started with one night, one summer ago.

* * *

“Cara is taking so long …” Taylor said and glanced over her shoulders to the general direction of the restroom.

She looked back at Todrick when she couldn’t see her friend in the crowded bar. “I hope she’s okay? She didn’t drink too much, right?”

Todrick heaved a sigh and drank a sip of his beer. “She will be fine. Don’t worry so much, Taylor. She’s probably making out with a hot woman right now and not even thinking about us.” He chuckled.

Taylor groaned. She wanted to say something when she saw Todrick’s eyes go wide and hastily glanced over her shoulder again. Sure enough, Cara was approaching their booth in a fast pace. She was holding her hand to her chest.

“What-“ Taylor jumped up and met Cara halfway.

Cara chuckled, but couldn’t hide the pained expression on her face.

“I knew something was wrong, I should have come looking for you” Taylor mumbled and inspected her friend’s hand.

Her index finger was blue and swollen, and there was a little bit of blood coming from a superficial scratch.

“What did you do this time, Cara?” Todrick asked, having gotten up as well. His tone was not nearly as worried as Taylor’s. He could see that his friend and colleague was still standing and breathing alright, and had only gotten into one of her far too regular minor accidents.

Cara winced. “Long story. I was in the restroom, and there was the hottie I danced with earlier, remember her? Anyways. We ended up making out but we didn’t lock the door to the stall so someone came in and then slammed it shut and my hand was in the way.”

Taylor let out a long breath. Of course. How Cara. “You need to ice this ASAP.”

Todrick didn’t say anything, but the way he was obviously trying to hold back his laughter said enough.

“I’m going to ask for some ice at the bar, then I’ll take you to the ER.” Taylor was already moving when Cara held her back at the hem of her shirt with her good hand.

“Taylor. I would love some ice from the bar, and maybe a glass of tap water. But I don’t need to go to the ER. I’ll just go home. I kind of have a headache right now anyways. The girl practically ran out as soon as we got caught and left me there with my throbbing hand, and I’ve had enough of people for tonight.” She said it with a grin, but there was also a hint of exhaustion in her voice.

“I don’t want to ruin your night. You never go out. Stay here with Todrick, please. We can get lunch together on Monday and catch up.”

Taylor looked her friend up and down, then sighed. “Fine. But you promise to call me and go to the ER if it gets worse?” She furrowed her brows.

Cara rolled her eyes. “Yes. Now please get me the ice from the bar while I call an Uber.” She gave Taylor a playful shove.

Taylor and Todrick waited outside with Cara for her Uber, then went back into the bar. They ordered new drinks and sat down at a different booth since the other one had been occupied in the meantime.

Todrick did his best to engage his friend in conversation, but Taylor kept checking her phone and sipping her beer in silence. Finally, her phone vibrated with an incoming message.

“She texted she got home safe, is icing her finger and watching a rerun of some soccer game. Oh, and she will kill us on Monday if we just sit here not enjoying ourselves because of her” Taylor chuckled.

Todrick laughed. Cara may not have known Taylor for a long time, but she knew her well enough to know that the small incident was still occupying Taylor’s thoughts.

“Then let’s take her advice” Todrick said matter-of-factly and drank a sip of his beer.

“You’re right.” Taylor drank too and put her phone away.

“So, you see anyone you like?” Todrick smirked after he looked at the crowded bar and back to his colleague.

Taylor made a point to not follow his gaze across the sea of people. “No” she sighed.

“I don’t know if I have time for something, I’m only still getting settled in …” she swirled the beer in the glass in front of her.

“Taylor.” Todrick sighed.

“I’m not asking you to find someone to marry. And you’ve been here in New York for a few months now. Don’t tell me you still don’t have everything together at your place.”

Taylor giggled. She remembered when Todrick came over for the first time to her new apartment and had stepped right out again at the sight of still unpacked boxes in the living room. Taylor was usually a tidy person, but the unpacking had overwhelmed her. In the end, Todrick helped her do most of it and even took her to buy a new shelf.

“No. The apartment is all done. Just, you know, with work and getting to know new people and stuff. I don’t have the headspace for anything romantic right now …”

Her friend and colleague took another sip of his beer and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“I’m not talking about relationships, Taylor. This is New York. You’re at Sunset and Vine. The best gay and lesbian bar in New York right now. If I wanted to suggest you finding something serious, I would take you to the bookstore. Just something with no-strings attached, you know. To get back into the game.”

Taylor’s eyes went wide when she realized what he meant. “I don’t really do one-night stands, Todrick, and you know that. Or at least I haven’t in years.”

“Exactly. No offense Taylor, but you need to let loose a little. Before you came here you were … you know. And it’s good to see you get better, and I think that involves not taking everything so seriously and just to have fun sometimes.”

Taylor bit her lip at the implication of her previous relationship and the state she had been in when it ended. But he was right. She had gotten used to heartbreak. Moving here from L.A., getting a wonderful job and being able to work alongside her friend of many years, had been good for her. And maybe not every person she kissed had to be the love of her life. Dammit, she was only 29. Somewhere along in her old relationship she had forgotten how young they were, had only thought of settling down and staying together forever. And it had ruined them.

She took another sip of her beer before she responded. “Yeah.”

Todrick looked at her softly. He could tell that she had been thinking about his words. He reached out a hand and squeezed Taylor’s.

“I obviously don’t want to pressure you into anything. But if you see someone hot, don’t overthink if they’re the one. Just have some fun.”

He gestured towards her. “And I think you sometimes forget that you’re hot shit too. Like damn, Taylor. There were like three women looking your way earlier just when we came back inside after Cara left.”

Taylor blushed. She looked down at her outfit. Her high-waisted shorts and low-cut t-shirt weren’t her most elegant choice, but after all she had only gotten dressed for a night out with friends. Not for … what Todrick was suggesting. Her long, wavy hair was loose around her shoulders, and she nervously pulled it back.

“And you know” Todrick continued and smirked, “Cara would say the same if she was here. Actually I can text her and ask-“

“Don’t!” Taylor yelped, and Todrick laughed.

“Okay, well, let’s order another round and then go dancing.”

Todrick was already getting up, not allowing any protests, and Taylor simply followed. They ordered cocktails this time and carried them with them to the small dancefloor.

Soon enough, Todrick found a cute guy to dance with, and Taylor watched them. They weren’t far away and she knew that Todrick would never abandon her, but she also knew it was his way of saying ‘find your own dance partner’. She stood there, sipping her mojito and moving along to the beat a little, stepping from one foot to the other. She felt a little tipsy, but not drunk. The air was stiff and the small bar packed. She watched the dancers absentmindedly.

Until she accidentally made eye contact. She looked away quickly, but found herself looking back again as if someone was pulling a string on her head. The woman was still staring at her. She was tall and blonde and stood out from the sea of dancers. Taylor realized it was not only because of her height, but because the woman was incredibly gorgeous. She could see that even in the dim light of the bar.

Taylor stood rooted at her spot. The woman finally looked away. Taylor saw that she was dancing with another woman, and her heart sank. The other woman was tall too, though a bit shorter, with long dark hair, dark skin and just as attractive as the blonde.

 _Damn, is everyone in this bar tall and hot,_ Taylor thought and took another sip from her drink. Then she remembered Todrick’s words from earlier. Maybe she wasn’t so bad-looking herself, and she was certainly on the tall side. It gave her a little bit of self-confidence.

After a minute or so Taylor realized that the dancing between the two women seemed only friendly. They weren’t touching and there was some space between them. In contrast to Todrick and his dance partner, Taylor thought and laughed to herself when she glanced over at them. Todrick caught her looking and grinned at her.

When she turned back towards the tall women, she made eye contact with the blonde again. This time, however, she held her intense gaze. She felt her heartbeat quicken. The blonde looked away again and Taylor breathed out. Then she watched her say something to her friend, who looked her way and grinned at the blonde and nodded.

To Taylor’s horror, the woman broke away from the dancing people and made her way towards Taylor. Taylor clutched her drink and felt her throat go dry. She tried to look at Todrick, but he was nowhere to be seen. Before she could think, the woman stood in front of her.

Taylor looked up. She wasn’t used to many other people being taller than her, but this one was definitely … very tall. Her green eyes looked at Taylor with curiosity, and she flashed her a smile. Taylor felt her knees weaken.

“Hey, I’m Karlie. Want to dance?”

Taylor gulped down the rest of her cocktail before she responded.

“Oh … sure.” She put the glass on a nearby high table.

The woman – Carly, Taylor thought – took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Somehow she didn’t feel like the name fit the attractive woman, but who was she to judge.

A new, upbeat song started playing, and the small crowd started moving faster. Taylor briefly wondered where Todrick was until she felt Carly’s hand on her hip.

“I haven’t gotten your name yet” the woman said, mouth close to Taylor’s ear so she could speak over the music.

Taylor nodded. “Right. Sorry. I’m Taylor.”

She smiled shyly.

“Taylor. That’s a beautiful name.”

Taylor blushed, but the compliment, combined with the alcohol that she now definitely felt running through her veins and Carly’s hand on her hip made her feel more confident. She moved closer towards the other woman and started moving along to the music. She wasn’t a good dancer, but the other woman didn’t seem to mind. And maybe Todrick was right, and not everything had to be so serious and meaningful all the time. She could just dance with this beautiful stranger and enjoy her night.

Carly’s hands started wandering from her hips up the side of her body and down again. Taylor shivered despite the hot, stiff air of the bar. She felt her own hands moving on the other woman’s body, moving around her back and bringing them even closer.

Her front made contact with Carly’s, and a small gasp escaped Taylor’s lips. Maybe she had really been alone for too long that simply feeling another body this close to her made her react so strongly. Or maybe it was because the tall woman in front of her was almost too attractive to be real.

They made eye contact again, and the woman’s intense gaze made Taylor feel something she hadn’t felt in a while. Carly bit her lip, and her gaze went down towards Taylor’s lips, then back up again with a question burning behind her dark green eyes. Taylor nodded, and before she could take another breath, the woman’s lips were on hers. Taylor kissed her back, and the kiss was a little sloppy, but urgent.

They pulled apart to breathe, but a moment later Taylor closed the distance again. The woman she was dancing with had sparked a fire in her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt wanted. And if the hot, tingling feeling in her lower belly and the throbbing between her legs were any indicator, she wanted the tall blonde just as much.

The kiss turned deeper. It was not as sloppy as the first one, but there was a raw desire behind it. Had the other woman not had such a strong grip on Taylor’s body, her knees would have probably given out. In fact, feeling how muscular the woman was just made Taylor want her even more. She ran her hands up and down her torso and along her strong arms. Yeah, the woman definitely worked out, and Taylor thought she could feel abs underneath her shirt. She whimpered into the kiss.

The other woman grinned and pulled away. Before Taylor could protest, however, her lips were grazing Taylor’s neck, and Taylor gasped again. Carly definitely knew what she was doing. Her hands kept exploring Taylor’s body, untucking her shirt from her high-waisted shorts. Feeling her fingers on her bare skin on her abdomen had a bigger effect than Taylor would have liked to admit in any other situation, but right now she didn’t care. She was past the point of caring, all she could think about were Carly’s hands on her body and her tongue on her neck.

She missed the feeling of the attractive woman’s lips on hers, so she pulled her head back a little, immediately closing the gap again. It earned her a surprised gasp from Carly that got mingled into the kiss, and gave her a new wave of confidence. Taylor had forgotten all about the people around her. She knew at the back of her head that music was playing because they were still somewhat moving along with it, but it was just background noise. She reveled in the feeling of touching the blonde, knowing that she was enjoying it as much as she did.

After a while, Carly slowed down her kisses to look at Taylor. It took her a moment to catch her breath.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

There was a spark in her eyes, wild and curious. But Taylor could also see the sincere question behind them. The other woman made her feel that she could say no if she wanted to, and they would just continue this and part ways later on.

But Taylor knew she wanted more.

“Yes.” She nodded and held the other woman’s intense gaze.

They kissed again. Then Carly took Taylor’s hand and led her off the small dance floor towards the door. In a moment of clarity Taylor thought about Todrick and that she needed to tell him she was leaving. She craned her neck to look for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Just text your friend while we’re in the cab” Carly said and giggled.

Taylor turned towards her in surprise. “How did you-“

“I saw you two sitting at the booth earlier. I’ve had my eyes on you for a while.” Her voice was low and husky.

They stepped outside and the cooler air hit them, but that was not what was making Taylor shiver. Carly put her arms around her and kissed her again. Taylor’s entire body tingled.

Spending the night with this gorgeous, stupidly attractive stranger was exactly what Taylor needed to let loose, to enjoy her newfound freedom in her first summer in New York.

* * *

Taylor takes a deep breath. She needs to tell Karlie, now.


	2. Part I - TAYLOR

Sitting across the table from Karlie, Taylor looks at the empty bowl in front of her and fiddles with the chopsticks next to it.

_I have to tell her now. The more I put it off the more embarrassing it gets. She already won the Gold medal, there’s nothing I would be distracting her from now. And we’re flying home tomorrow, and New York is a big city, and if I embarrass myself too much, I can just delete her number and never see her again._

When she looks up, she sees Karlie’s questioning gaze on her. She remembers the first time she was at the receiving end of her intense stare, like she has so often in the last four weeks. She shivers a little.

“Are you okay?” Karlie’s voice is soft.

Taylor bites her lip. “Yeah.”

“You seem nervous.”

Taylor gives her a weak smile. Karlie is always so observant, so concerned. They’ve spent quite some time together in the last four weeks, and Taylor feels like they could be friends. But not until she gets this confession out of the way. Maybe it’s not a confession. More of a reminder. Taylor can’t believe that Karlie is so oblivious. She doesn’t know how much Karlie drank that night and if she remembers it at all. But since the moment that Taylor realized who Karlie was, it has been on her mind.

No matter how embarrassing it’s going to be, she has to tell her. Cara had only shrugged, not believing it would change anything, but Todrick had agreed. Taylor has been texting Todrick about it nonstop. Now she has the opportunity, sitting in this small Ramen shop that has the air conditioning turned up just a little too high, and she knows she will regret it if she chickens out.

“I have to tell you something.”

Karlie tilts her head to the side a little. “Really? What is it, Taylor? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s not about me.” Taylor sighs and lets go of the chopsticks to fiddle with the napkin instead.

“It’s about us.”

Karlie raises an eyebrow. Her demeanor tells Taylor nothing about if she knows what’s coming or not.

“We … we’ve actually met before. Last year, in the summer, too.” Taylor thinks her heart is beating out of her chest, and she wipes her clammy hands on the napkin.

“Oh? Really?”

Taylor feels her heart sink. So Karlie doesn’t remember. She just sits there, waiting for Taylor to continue. Taylor braces herself for the embarrassment.

“We, um …” she clears her throat. “We …” She can’t do it. She can’t say it. Karlie doesn’t remember. She should have just pretended to not remember, either. But she’s too far along now.

“We met? Where? I don’t think I remember you. Did you interview me before?” Karlie asks innocently.

Taylor wants the ground to swallow her whole. She wonders if she digs deep enough, if she can dig a hole from Tokyo straight to New York to curl up in her bed and never talk to anyone ever again.

“No, we … we met in a bar. Last summer. We … dammit. We hooked up.” There it is. Taylor feels her cheeks redden at her own words and averts her eyes from Karlie.

Karlie is quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. “Oh. Yeah … I’m sorry, I really did not remember you. I … I do that quite a lot.” She takes a sip of her cold oolong tea and looks at Taylor.

Taylor finally looks back. “Oh … yeah. Well.”

She doesn’t know what to say. She has never been this embarrassed in her whole life. And Karlie doesn’t seem to care, as if girls tell her that every other week. Actually, remembering the gossip article she read the other week, that doesn’t seem to be so far-fetched. Taylor just happens to be one more.

“Yeah. I just thought I’d tell you. Because we’ve been working together, and hung out, and I didn’t want it to be awkward.” Taylor breathes out audibly.

Karlie grins. “It’s okay. It doesn’t have to be awkward, though you look quite embarrassed. It really doesn’t have to mean anything. I’m sure it was good, because I do remember one bad hook-up very clearly.” She gives Taylor a wink.

Taylor’s cheeks grow even redder and she has to avert her eyes again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable” Karlie says quickly and reaches out to touch Taylor’s arm.

Taylor wishes that it didn’t cause a spark of electricity to run through her body, but it does. She sighs, but manages to look back at Karlie and attempts a smile. Cara’s words are echoing in the back of her mind.

“Yeah. It’s okay. I just wanted you to know.”

“Of course. I’m glad you did. It doesn’t change anything, though. We’re professionals.” Karlie’s voice is soft, but determined.

“Of course.” Taylor finally gives a small smile.

They don’t talk about it more after that. They finish their drinks, then leave shortly after and walk to the subway station together. Karlie returns to the Olympic Village to pack her bags for her flight back to the US the next day, and Taylor has a last meeting with Cara and the other journalists before she has to pack her bags, too.


	3. Part I - TAYLOR

Taylor texts Todrick about her lunch with Karlie. After a few minutes, the train arrives and she makes way for the people exiting. She remembers to get in line to enter the train, a custom that she still has not gotten used to but finds admirable nonetheless. She grabs a seat and keeps her eyes on the map on the wall. She had missed her stop a few days ago and does not want to repeat trying to find her way back to the correct platform through an unfamiliar station.

She lets out a soft yawn and looks around the train. Most people are reading books or on their phones. Taylor wants to take it all in, even the simplest of impressions. She knows she won’t get a chance to visit Japan again so soon. She can’t help but think back to everything that led her here. To Tokyo. To meet Karlie again. In hindsight, it really was all because of Cara.

* * *

“What?” Taylor ran a hand through her hair and started pacing through her boss’ spacious office.

“I’m afraid I cannot take this assignment. Why me? There must be other journalists you can spare for a month? I know nothing about any of this and-“ she started protesting, well on her way of working herself up into a panic attack.

“Miss Swift.” Her boss, in contrast, was as calm and collected as ever. “I’m afraid you will take this assignment. It’s not like you will be completely alone. Miss Delevingne will join you in Tokyo as soon as she gets a clean bill of health from her doctor. I know the timing is bad, but there is nothing we can do about it now. She is the one who is most disappointed to not make it. You would do your friend a favor by acting as her substitute.”

Taylor stood still at the opposite end of the room, but she groaned internally. Cara. Her clumsy friend and colleague had badly twisted her ankle the day before playing a pick-up game of basketball at the park. She had texted Taylor a picture from the hospital, of her foot in a medical cast. It had freaked Taylor out enough as it was, and she had spent all day compiling a grocery list for her friend for when she would visit her after work. And now this? It would have been comical if it wasn’t so anxiety-inducing.

She slowly made her way back towards his desk. “I appreciate your trust in me. But I know nothing about sports. Please consider sending someone else.”

Her voice was calmer now, but her heart was still beating rapidly. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm her anxiety.

Her boss reached for his phone. “You’re a journalist, I trust you to be able to do research. And you don’t have to ask all the in-depth questions in those interviews, anyways” he argued.

Taylor breathed out audibly. She knew nothing about sport. She wrote about lifestyle, and pop culture, and literature. Sometimes politics. But sport? That was 100% Cara’s job. Cara knew the ins and outs of every sports team in New York City, no matter if it was basketball, or soccer, or baseball, men or women.

Taylor had no interest in any of it. No matter how many times Cara offered her free tickets to games or asked to watch a game on TV or talked her ear off about statistics and transfers and scandals. It just wasn’t Taylor’s world.

And now she would go to Tokyo to interview the US women’s teams that were competing in the Olympics.

“What about my article on first-time voters in the next presidential election? We have interviews scheduled for the end of the month” she tried to make a point one last time.

“Mr. Hall can conduct the in-person interviews alone, the rest is all via Skype and e-mail anyways. He can send you drafts to edit, as will your other colleagues. Just like you do here at the office. They have internet in Japan.” He made a dismissive gesture and started scrolling on his phone.

It was Taylor’s cue to leave the office. The conversation was over.

“When am I going?”

She asked one last question, even though she was sure she would have her flight details in her inbox already when she’d come back to her desk.

Her boss put his phone to his ear and tilted his head a little. “Next week.”

Taylor sighed and accepted her fate.

***

Taylor did her best to do her research, she really did. Yet when she was sitting on the plane, clutching her book anticipating take-off, she felt entirely unprepared.

Cara had done her best to help, giving her a brief overview of the rules and history of each sport.

“You will see when you get the schedule, but you will focus on the star player of the basketball team, Kloss, a forward. She also plays here in New York. You’ll be doing a sort of interview series with her, among others, throughout the first week of training before the games start.”

She had chuckled. “You would know her if you listened to me or came to games with me.”

Taylor had briefly gone over the roster for the teams she would be interviewing. She figured that she would just learn the names when she actually met the athletes. Learning the rules had proven more complicated than she would have imagined. She felt like that for each new fact she learned there was more she didn’t understand. Who knew that sports had so many _numbers_? All week until her departure to Tokyo, the crease of confusion and slight worry deepened between her brows.

Everyone else, however, seemed to not see a problem with her assignment to this task. Todrick and Cara told her not to worry, and her brother was actually jealous. She would be lying if she said it didn’t help her self-confidence – just not enough for her to shake off the nerves.

The plane landed at Narita airport hours later and she was picked up by a volunteer and transferred to her hotel. She stared out of the bus window with wide eyes and child-like excitement, taking in the streets of Tokyo. It felt a lot like coming to New York for the very first time. She decided to embrace going out of her comfort-zone more, just like she had done a year earlier.

The bone-deep exhaustion hit her as soon as she stepped into her hotel room. She managed to send quick texts to friends and family, letting them know she had arrived well. Todrick sent her a picture of her cats in response. He had been assigned to check in on them every day, a task he fulfilled with so much excitement Taylor made a mental note to invite him over to her place more once she got back. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

***

The next day, she arrived at the training facility of the US Women’s basketball team ahead of schedule. She felt nervous, but optimistic. The file in her bag was heavy. It contained all the numbers and abbreviations Taylor didn’t quite understand yet.

She showed her press pass to the staff, who instructed her to wait and sit on the bleachers until practice was over. Taylor glanced at the players on the court, then busied herself with her notes. She regretted not being able to connect every name and face yet and hoped she wouldn’t mix people up and reveal her ignorance about the team and the sport. She sighed.

_Kloss, Karlie / #38 / New York Daisies / 6’2 / 126 lbs / forward / avg. 19.1 PPG 5.2 RB 3.2 AST 33.2 MIN_

Yeah. Taylor furrowed her brows again. She’d heard of the team, the New York Daisies, at least. Cara went to every home game for interviews and was a fan.

Somewhere in the gym she heard a door open and the footsteps of multiple people approaching. She hastily put her notes back into her bag and sat up. A group of tall women approached her bench, accompanied by two staff members.

“Miss Swift, welcome to Tokyo and to our training facility. I hope you had a pleasant flight and the hot and humid climate isn’t getting to you. We’ve only arrived yesterday ourselves”, a friendly man who introduced himself as the assistant coach said.

She thanked him, and they were about to start introductions when Taylor saw her.

She was taking a first look at the team in front of her, her eyes only scanning the women briefly. Her eyes snapped back instantly. The player was even taller than her teammates, lanky and muscular and blonde with a sharp jawline and green eyes.

The memories of one night about a year ago came rushing back to her in an instant. She remembered what those muscular arms felt like wrapped around her, she remembered the feeling of running her hands down the abs concealed now by a lose t-shirt, she remembered the taste of the woman’s lips on her own …

Taylor knew she must be staring, and snapped herself out of it after a long moment. The assistant coach was still talking. She hoped it wasn’t anything too important. All she could do was nod and smile along. Her mind was focused on the woman in front of her. The rest had turned into white background noise.

 _Carly_. No. _Karlie_. Karlie Kloss, star basketball player of the New York Daisies and the US Women’s Team. K A R L I E.

Taylor was sure it was all written on her face for the entire team to see. She tore her eyes away from Karlie and willed her face back into a neutral expression.

A staff member started arranging equipment, and it reminded Taylor why she was here in the first place. Right. She would work with this team … with Karlie.

She couldn’t help but think that the actual spelling of Karlie’s name was much more fitting. It was cute and unique. Now that it was all in front of her, it seemed almost absurd how she had never come across Karlie before. Especially being Cara’s friend. Cara, who worked with Karlie’s team on a regular basis. She winced at the revelation. Had she ever mentioned the name of her hook-up to her friend?

“Should we get started?” the assistant coach asked, oblivious to Taylor’s stream of thoughts.

Taylor bit her lip. “Of course.”

She looked in Karlie’s direction again, but the athlete was watching the staff members set up the camera for the interview. It calmed her nerves for some reason. Karlie didn’t seem to have recognized her. That was good.

“Why don’t you introduce yourself, and then we have a short introductory round so you can get familiar with the team before we start the individual interviews?”

Taylor smiled at the assistant coach, thankful that he took over the lead. She had momentarily forgotten what she was here to do.

“Alright. As you have probably realized by now, I am not Cara”, she started and got a smile out of some of the teammates.

“I’m her substitute. My name is Taylor Swift, please call me Taylor. I work for Vibrant Magazine as well, but for the lifestyle and literature section. So, I’m going to be honest with you when I say I do not have the in-depth knowledge that Cara has.”

She felt like it would be good to be honest, but maybe not too honest. Like admitting she hadn’t known about Karlie Kloss until five minutes earlier, or understanding zero of the statistics on her note sheets.

“Thank you, Taylor. We’re looking forward to working with you. We’re sure you will do an adequate job”, the assistant coach said, and the team nodded along.

The team took turns briefly introducing themselves with their names, positions and team in the league. Taylor glanced at her notes every now and then to look up a spelling or confirm two players were teammates on a league team.

When it was Karlie’s turn, Taylor’s heartrate picked up speed, but the athlete only listed off her information and gave her a tight-lipped smile when their eyes met. Taylor didn’t know how to interpret it, but she took Karlie’s demeanor as confirmation that she had no idea who Taylor was.

Their interview seemed to further confirm her suspicion. As one of the star players of the team, Karlie’s interview was a little longer than the others, but it went by without Karlie showing any sort of emotions despite a professional politeness.

Taylor selected an interview to upload to Vibrant Magazine’s social media, and then she went over the schedule for the next week with the staff.

The athletes said their goodbyes. Taylor felt a weird sense of sadness when Karlie left with her teammates. She had no idea what to make of it. It wasn’t like she could go up to her and tell her about their history. That would be creepy, and highly unprofessional. She just wished she had a chance to talk to Karlie more, to get to know her.

The thought lingered when she went back to her hotel. She had the rest of the afternoon off, but she used the time to work on articles and answer e-mails. She felt positive about her assignment after the first day. Nevertheless, meeting Karlie again was throwing her off the more her memories played on loop in her head.

***

She ended up googling her two days later. Taylor rationalized it was for her research, reading up on player statistics and preparing questions for her next interview. But the guilt was nagging at her when she clicked on the second gossip article about Karlie Kloss’ infamous dating life. If you could even call it that. There were screenshots of comments under Karlie’s Instagram pictures of girls who claimed to have slept with her - comments that weren’t ambiguous at all. Girls bragging about ‘getting laid by the hottest MVP in the league ever’, or claiming they were straight ‘but couldn’t pass up the chance’.

Taylor blushed. She was glad to be alone in her hotel room and not in a busy café.

The article went on, making claims of Karlie’s reputation as a heartbreaker, never taking home the same girl twice. More screenshots seemed to prove it. One girl had tagged Karlie in multiple comments, begging her to send her a text on the number she had left her.

Taylor quickly closed the article. Her blush deepened, but she couldn’t read any further. She had seen enough. So that was who Karlie was. The woman she had hooked up with a year ago. She was glad that at the time, she had had no idea who Karlie was. She briefly wondered if she would have gone home with Karlie had she known about her reputation.

“God, why am I even thinking about this” she murmured to herself.

She willed herself to focus on the article in front of her. She worked on it for a good twenty minutes until another thought popped into her head.

_What if I had left her my number that night?_

Taylor groaned. She stopped typing and saved the document. She had a feeling she wouldn’t get much further today.

_Should I bring the fact that we have a history up to her?_

She stared at the ceiling. She hadn’t given the hook-up much thought until now. It had happened, it had been fun, she had left, and that had been it. She had enjoyed herself for one night, then decided casual hook-ups weren’t really her thing. She learned to enjoy the single life. Karlie had never crossed her mind once.

Yet now, being confronted with the woman in person, knowing about her, it felt different. She felt intrigued. Knowing what Karlie’s hands felt like all over her body, and her tongue in her mouth. Knowing she was a professional athlete. Knowing about the reputation she had. She felt intrigued, and she wanted to get to know the person behind all of it.

She decided not to bring it up to Karlie, at least not during the tournament. She may not know much about sports, but she did know that athletes needed to be focused. She had no idea how Karlie would react, whether it would throw her off or she would easily see past it.

Feeling the need to tell someone about her situation, she sent a quick, but ominous _‘you will never guess who I ran into’_ to Todrick. She knew that her friend was nosey enough to want to know every single detail. For once, she was grateful for it. She opened her messages with Cara too, then hesitated and closed them again.

She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she briefly daydreamed about a scenario where Karlie and her were back in New York, and Karlie would break her principles and take Taylor home one more time.

***

A week went by, and Taylor saw Karlie almost daily. She learned that distant professionalism wasn’t the athlete’s usual demeanor at all. Karlie was easy-going, kind and brightened up a room simply by being there. It made Taylor wonder a little about their first interaction, but she decided to blame it on the jet-lag and her being the new reporter.

Taylor split her time between the US women’s teams of soccer, basketball, field hockey and beach volleyball. She watched their practices and attended press conferences. She conducted short interviews with players from each team. Most got uploaded to the Vibrant Magazine social media accounts, but some were to collect quotes for online articles as well. It kept her busy, and whenever she saw Karlie, she had very little time to dwell on their history.

The day after the opening ceremony, before the first match of the group stage, Taylor was scheduled for an interview with Karlie Kloss, Jourdan Dunn and Toni Garrn of the New York Daisies. She was meeting the latter two for the first time as they played on different national teams.

They were in the lounge room of the US team’s quarters in the Olympic Village. It was Taylor’s first time there, and she couldn’t help but be impressed at the extravagant accommodation.

“How does it feel for you to meet here in Tokyo but be on opposing teams?” Taylor asked after they had greeted each other. She felt like she had seen Jourdan before, apart from her player profile. She didn’t know where to place her, however.

Her recorder was on the table, but she was taking notes in addition. It always helped her focus and remember questions for later. A staff member of the US team kept walking around them, taking pictures to go along with the article.

Jourdan laughed. “Honestly, it’s a little weird. But also, exciting. And it’s Karlie’s first Olympics and I’m so glad to have her here instead of knowing she’s at home only watching on TV.”

Taylor tilted her head a little, trying to remember why Karlie hadn’t been in the Olympics before. This was something Cara would definitely know. Taylor felt the insecurity rising in her chest.

“Yeah, I was injured four years ago, so I couldn’t make it.” Karlie offered when Taylor didn’t reply.

Taylor relaxed a little at hearing the explanation. It seemed like Karlie was aware of Taylor’s lack of knowledge, yet she didn’t seem to mind or take it personal.

“Does this have an impact on how you see yourself in the team? I mean because you’re considered a veteran player, but it’s your first Olympics just like for the 20-year old rookies on the team.”

Karlie exhaled audibly, then laughed. “Hey, good question. I don’t think so. It’s a different atmosphere and environment, but I still think of it as the same game of basketball. I can still offer the same advice to the rookies just like I do at the World Cup or in the league.” She smiled.

Toni and Jourdan nodded along. Taylor wrote a note down, then smiled back.

“I’m really focused right now. It’s my first Olympics, and I want to win Gold.”

Taylor nodded. She admired Karlie’s determination. Neither Jourdan nor Toni seemed fazed by Karlie’s certainty to reach the finale. It made an impression on Taylor, as it gave her a glimpse into the athlete’s personality.

They talked more, and Taylor found that it felt more like a conversation between friends. The three teammates-turned-opponents kept asking each other questions, and from time to time Taylor just listened to them, taking notes.

“Oh hey guys, how are ya?” someone shouted at them at one point, coming down the hallway.

Taylor thought she recognized the athlete as someone from the women’s soccer team. She had no idea what she was doing in the basketball team’s quarters, but none of the others seemed to be surprised to see her.

Karlie gave her a fist bump, and they talked for a minute. Then the woman went on her way towards the elevator.

“Ah, Olympic Village gossip, never a dull day” Karlie smirked. Jourdan punched her arm.

Karlie grinned at Taylor. “Sorry, back to the interview.”

Taylor couldn’t help but grin back. They wrapped up the interview soon after, and she remembered to inform them about Cara’s status.

“Cara will come to Tokyo at the beginning of August. It’s only for the last week of the games, but she doesn’t want to miss it.”

The three athletes smiled at her.

“I hope she’s better?” Toni inquired.

“She’s getting there. The cast is off, and she can walk slowly. She was lucky she didn’t break a bone. She’s so clumsy” Taylor laughed.

Karlie laughed, too. “Yeah, I feel like in the years she’s interviewed our team, she’s had more injuries than me, and she’s not the professional athlete.” Jourdan snort-laughed in response.

“I’m happy she can still make it to Tokyo, wouldn’t want her to miss out” Karlie added and the others agreed.

Then Karlie looked at Taylor and winked. “But hey, we got a really pretty substitute, so …”

Taylor felt her cheeks flush. Jourdan looked scandalized and shoved her elbow into Karlie’s side.

“Karlie! Sorry Taylor, she’s a big flirt.”

Taylor did her best to appear nonchalant.

“No worries!” Nevertheless, she avoided looking at Karlie directly.

She spent the rest of the day at the beach volleyball venue. It was the first match of the tournament for the US team, and they won over Brazil in a tight and hard-fought game. Taylor interviewed the team afterwards. When she got to her hotel room, she wrote a draft of the New York Daisies interview and sent it to her boss. It was only when she went to sleep that she let the interaction with Karlie run through her head.

***

Taylor was slowly getting the hang of the workings of the Olympic Games. The teams she interviewed almost on a daily basis were accepting of her – they called each other by their first names and greeted each other when they ran into each other outside of interviews. Admittedly there were a lot of new names Taylor had to learn and she still used her cheat sheet from time to time to match names and faces, but she was getting the hang of it. She was having fun.

After the last of the basketball team’s group matches – the US team had won each of them and finished first in the group, to no one’s surprise – Taylor found herself at a press conference with players from each of the US women’s teams. Basketball, Soccer, Field Hockey, Beach Volleyball.

She listened to each answer the athletes were giving carefully and took notes. Her boss had told her to write a short article for their online magazine about the general mood between the athletes at this point in the middle of the tournament. Were they feeling optimistic? Were they confident to make it to the next round? What were their fears about their next opponent?

Alex Morgan was answering a question about their next game. The soccer team had already advanced to the semi-finals where they would face the host nation Japan.

“I’m excited to play against Japan. They are a strong opponent and they have home field advantage. But I’m especially happy to play them in the Olympics again since they didn’t qualify in the 2016 tournament, as I’m sure we all remember. And we won against them in the finale of 2012. I’m confident about our performance next week but we will need to work hard to win.”

The reporters in the room nodded along, scribbling and typing away. Taylor saw Karlie nodding along too. She admired that about her. She always gave other people her full attention, always interested in what they had to say. When Taylor interviewed her, she sometimes felt like they were the only two people in the room, like what she was saying was the most important thing.

“Thank you. Moving on to the basketball team,” the moderator said and picked out the next reporter.

“Me? Thank you. Beverly Yanez, from ESPN-W.” The reporter smiled. “Karlie Kloss, congratulations on an outstanding performance against Germany. 23 points! How do you feel about the team’s overall performance in the group stage?”

At the mention of Karlie’s name, Taylor perked to attention. Karlie was smiling at the reporter and leaning towards the mic.

“Thank you. It was an incredible game, a good team win. I wouldn’t be able to score points if my teammates weren’t so good at circulating the ball and making great passes. I was also happy to play against Toni Garrn, my teammate from the New York Daisies. Of course, I’m sad that Germany got eliminated in the group stage, but it’s nevertheless exciting to play against your usual teammate at such a high international level. As for our overall performance in the group stage, I have nothing to complain about, our results speak for themselves.”

“Thank you.”

Taylor decided on something she wanted to ask, knowing that her boss would like a direct quote from the New York-based athlete in her article. It was her turn after the next question.

“Thank you. Taylor Swift, from Vibrant Magazine. Karlie Kloss, as this is your first Olympics, how is your impression so far? How does it differ from other tournaments such as the World Cup?”

Taylor’s hands were shaking, and she almost forgot to use Karlie’s last name, but Karlie smiled at her encouragingly. Once again, Taylor couldn’t help but notice how focused the athlete was, making her feel like there weren’t at least thirty more reporters as well as camera people in the room.

Before Karlie could answer, however, everyone was made very aware of the presence of another reporter in the room.

“What kind of question is that? Can’t you ask a more important question? I didn’t even know Vibrant Magazine covered sports” a man huffed.

The room went silent in shock. Alex Morgan cleared her throat audibly, her eyes wide. Karlie stared at the man with an open mouth.

The moderator spoke up first. “Please, the reporters can ask any question they want. Let the athletes answer the questions, and they will let us know if they don’t want to.”

Taylor suddenly felt sick to her stomach. The room’s attention was on her now, everyone staring between her, the other reporter and Karlie. She bit her lip, willing herself not to start crying at the humiliation. She looked at Karlie.

“It was a good question, and I will gladly answer it. Thank you, Miss Swift.” Karlie started and gave Taylor another encouraging smile. Taylor felt herself relax a little bit as the attention in the room shifted towards Karlie again.

“Yes, it is my first Olympics, and I’m really enjoying the experience. I think there is a very big difference in the atmosphere. The Olympic Village is great. I’m having a lot of fun hanging out with players from different teams and watching their games. I went to Alex’s game with some teammates yesterday, for example. And I get to learn about sports I’ve never watched before. So that’s different from the World Cup. And Tokyo is exciting, too.” Karlie smiled.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Karlie looked at the man from earlier with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Vibrant Magazine has been covering the women’s basketball team, among others, for the entirety of the tournament. I have quite enjoyed working with them. You would know that if you were paying attention.”

The room erupted in cheers, and Taylor couldn’t help the grin from spreading across her face. The other athletes were clapping their hands as well.

“Now, sir, if you want to ask your question now, what’s so important that you want to know?” the moderator asked with a barely concealed grin on his face after the room had calmed down again.

“Yes, thank you” the reporter said, puffing his chest.

“Fox Sports here. Karlie Kloss, you turn 28 in two days when you will play in the quarterfinals. Where do you see your own performance going in the future? Can you imagine yourself in the next Olympics four years from now? Do you feel your performance decline as you age? Do you have any plans to marry and settle down?”

This time, the room collectively groaned. Taylor was hoping for the man to reveal it had been a trick question, but he looked serious.

Karlie simply stared at him with raised eyebrows. Alex Morgan as well as the field hockey and beach volleyball players sat there with wide eyes, looking between each other in shock.

“I will not be answering that question.” Karlie leaned forward towards the mic. “I scored 23 points in our last game. I’m at my peak and 28 years is not old. That’s all I will say to you.”

The room erupted in cheers once more. The press conference moved on to beach volleyball, but was concluded shortly after. It all went by in a blur for Taylor. She had recovered a little from her initial shock, but she was still shaking at being addressed by the reporter so rudely, and have everyone staring at her. She felt thankful for Karlie’s reaction.

However, the incident had unlocked one of her insecurities. That she wasn’t in the position to be asking qualified questions about sports. About things she had had no idea about even a month earlier.

She found herself lingering in the foyer afterwards, scrolling through her phone, texting Cara about the incident. She knew it was only a matter of time before a video would circulate on social media. She also knew that the main focus of controversy wouldn’t be her, but the male reporter’s sexist questions. Yet she also knew there were most definitely people out there who agreed with him.

“Hey.”

A familiar voice made Taylor look up.

Karlie Kloss and Alex Morgan were standing in front of her.

“We were just leaving, what are you still doing here?” Karlie asked.

Taylor only shrugged. She suddenly felt awkward.

“Are you still thinking about that man’s oh-so-important question?” Karlie asked, and her face softened when she saw Taylor look at her feet.

“Hey, don’t dwell on it. He was an asshole. Your question was great, and his was not. Don’t let him bring you down.” Taylor looked up when she felt Karlie’s hand on her shoulder. It was gone a moment later, as if Karlie hadn’t meant to do it. Nevertheless, it heated up Taylor’s cheeks.

“Thank you” she mumbled. “It’s stupid, I know. But you know I’m not actually a sports journalist so-“

“No. Stop right there.” Karlie’s voice was determined. “Don’t let this bring you down. You’re doing an amazing job here, especially considering it’s not your field. You’re fun to work with.”

Alex agreed and smiled at Taylor. “She’s right.”

“Thank you.”

“And if it makes you feel better, a French interviewer asked Tobin at the World Cup last year if we would let them win in the quarter-finals” Alex added and grinned.

Karlie snorted, remembering the viral video. “Yeah, your questions are way better, Taylor.”

Taylor nodded and smiled at the athletes’ attempts to lift her spirits.

“I should go.” She got up and took her bag.

“Hey, wait. Why don’t you come to our team dinner tonight? Not as a reporter, just as a friend of the team? We’d love to have you; I know coach won’t mind.” Karlie asked quickly before Taylor could go.

Taylor looked at her, perplexed. “Are you sure?”

She didn’t want to intrude. She hadn’t spent any time with Karlie outside of their work, much less talked in between interviews. She enjoyed Karlie’s presence and her good-natured attitude. But Karlie had no idea about the history they shared …

“Yes. We’d love to have you.” Karlie gave her that intense stare that made Taylor forget about the other people in the foyer. Yet she could feel Alex curiously looking between them. She knew she couldn’t turn down the invite.

“Okay, sure. I’d love to come, then.” She smiled at Karlie.

Karlie cleared her throat. “Great. Um, I can text you the details later?”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Taylor expectantly.

“Oh.” Taylor realized she was expected to give Karlie her number. She hoped it was appropriate. Alex was still looking between them with a curious look on her face. She typed in her number, then gave the phone back.

“Thanks.” Karlie looked dazed for a second, but then regained her composure.

Taylor clutched her bag to her chest. “I have to go.”

They said their goodbyes, and Taylor quickly left the venue. Outside the hot and humid air hit her like a brick wall, but she kept up a fast pace until she reached the subway station. It had been an eventful day and if she wanted to survive an evening with Karlie and the entire US women’s basketball team, she would need a nap first.

A tiny voice in the back of her head started making itself known, urging her to consider telling Karlie what had happened a year ago.

***

A glance at the time at the bottom of her laptop screen let Taylor wince. She hastily saved the document and closed her laptop. The café was bustling with people, who had all been glancing in her direction more or less obviously for the last two hours. She had ignored it for the most part, it didn’t bother her all that much.

She took the receipt and went up to the counter to pay. The staff wished her a nice day in English with a bright smile that Taylor returned, and then she was on the streets of Tokyo again. The summer heat was still as unbearable as ever. She couldn’t get used to the humidity, not even after a good three weeks.

She thought back to the team dinner the other night. It had gone surprisingly well. If anyone had had doubts about the fact that Karlie had invited her, they hadn’t voiced them. It had been a good time, and Taylor had even remembered everyone’s names. The team had made it a point to talk about anything than basketball for the night, and Taylor had fit easily into the conversations.

Something in her dynamic with Karlie had changed. She didn’t know when, or how exactly, but she felt it. Not thinking about Karlie became harder each day.

She got onto the subway. So far, she had managed to catch trains outside of Tokyo’s infamous rush hour, and she hoped she would never have to experience it. According to Karlie, though, it wasn’t so bad considering their height. Taylor’s thoughts went to the amused expression in the athlete’s eyes when she had told the story. She smiled to herself.

There had been some very unprofessional butterflies in her stomach when she saw Karlie’s text inviting her for lunch when she had just seen her half an hour before. There had been a very unprofessional tingling of her skin when she had hugged Karlie wishing her a happy birthday after their last interview. Going to lunch with Karlie meant they would talk just the two of them for the first time. Taylor didn’t know what to make of it.

Taylor found their meeting place easily enough, at the corner of a narrow street around Shimbashi Station. She snapped a quick picture of Tokyo Tower, observable in the gaps of concrete, and stepped into the cool air of the restaurant. She was immediately greeted by Karlie’s signature wide smile, waving her to the table in exaggerated motions.

“Hey.”

The hug they exchanged left Taylor a little breathless. She internally scolded herself.

“They have a daily menu, so I thought we can order that. I’m not really allowed to eat anything that isn’t provided by our team, but coach allowed me to come here because the food is macrobiotic.” Karlie started explaining.

“Wow, that’s pretty strict.” Taylor tilted her head. She decided not to mention the amount of sweet bean rice cakes she had consumed over the last days.

“Well, we have a Gold medal to win” Karlie laughed and beamed at Taylor.

Taylor smiled back. Despite her nervousness, it felt good to be around Karlie. It didn’t feel like the first time they hung out at all. They fell into an easy conversation, Taylor telling her about the article she had edited at the café earlier. Karlie listened with genuine interest, asking a few questions. Taylor felt hypnotized being at the receiving end of Karlie’s attention.

When their food came, Taylor took a picture. The arrangement of small bowls looked too pretty not to. There was brown rice, miso soup, wakame salad, pickles and steamed vegetables.

“You should write an article on the health food trend in Japan” Karlie suggested as she observed Taylor.

Taylor laughed. “Maybe. I would need to try more than one restaurant, though.”

“We’re still in Tokyo for a while” Karlie said, then busied herself with her chopsticks, looking away from Taylor.

Taylor had no idea what to make of the comment. Did Karlie want to go to lunch again? Or did she just want Taylor to gather material for a possible article? She only hummed in response.

Karlie picked up the conversation again after a beat of silence. They talked about the team practice, the upcoming game, the interview that was scheduled for the next day. Karlie complained about her roommate at the Olympic Village being messy, and that team breakfast was too early. She excitedly spoke about the sights she had seen in her free time, and whispered about little scandals regarding other athletes.

Their lunch went by far too quickly for Taylor’s liking. Soon enough Karlie had to leave for a team meeting and Taylor had an interview scheduled with the soccer team. She once again distracted herself with her work, and didn’t tell anyone, not even Todrick, about her lunch with Karlie. It wasn’t a secret, but it felt like something she wanted to keep to herself just a little bit longer.

***

The semi-finale of the women’s basketball tournament had Saitama Super Arena bustling with energy. Every last seat occupied, the fans cheered loudly as the starting line-ups were introduced on the big screens.

Taylor looked around in awe.

“Spain hosted the World Cup two years ago, so it’s exciting to play against them here again” Cara explained.

Taylor hummed in response. She was happy to have her friend and colleague back. Cara had arrived in Tokyo the day before. She was still walking on crutches, but was able to get back and forth without assistance. The teams were happy to have her back as well. Everybody knew that Cara wouldn’t have missed the Olympics for the world, even if it was only the last few days.

The national anthems were played, and then the game started.

The US team won the tip-off. After two passes Karlie received the ball just outside the three-point line. The Spanish defense scrambled into formation, but no one went out to guard Karlie. It was an easy three points for the US team, and the fans went wild.

“This is how you do it!” Cara yelled enthusiastically.

Taylor watched Karlie retreat into defense. She was impressed. She had seen all of the games in Tokyo, obviously, but as the tournament progressed, the team seemed to only get better, and this had been the best start to a game so far.

“I had no idea you root for the US team so much” Taylor grinned at Cara when she cheered loudly again after a good play.

Cara turned to her and stuck out her tongue like a child. “The English team got eliminated in the group stage, and this team has the best friend of my favorite English player of my favorite American team on it, so why not.” She grinned when she saw Taylor trying to keep up with who she meant.

“Karlie?” Taylor asked after a moment.

“Yes, doofus.”

Taylor smacked her arm. She really was glad to have Cara back. Cara had taken over most of Taylor’s responsibilities immediately – she would be conducting the interviews from now on and send her drafts to their boss. Nevertheless, Taylor wanted to accompany her, despite being offered free time for the last week of the tournament.

“You did a really great job” Cara had assured her during a long hug at her arrival.

She had smiled at her. “Now that you know the basics, you have to come to a New York Daisies game with me sometime.”

Taylor had promised she would.

Watching a game with Cara had the perk that Taylor could ask her about things she didn’t understand instead of trying to google it and then not paying attention to the game when it kept running.

Spain caught up in the second quarter, and while they never managed to lead, they tied the game multiple times. The American fans (and Cara) cheered double for every point their team made.

Karlie scored a deep three that beat the buzzer just before halftime, sending the US to the locker room with a 42-38 lead.

Cara immediately busied herself, typing away notes on her iPad, every now and then glancing at the scoreboard for statistics. It made Taylor realize how little she still understood of the game when she compared the way she had taken notes before.

She excused herself and went to buy drinks for the two of them.

Cara looked up at her when she returned and smiled gratefully at the drink. “Karlie is having a great game. I still can’t believe she scored 23 points against Germany. She’s been on fire this whole tournament!”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a great experience to interview her, too.”

“She can be a handful, on and off the court” Cara chuckled ominously. “But I’m glad she was being nice to you. She didn’t make a move on you, did she?”

Taylor felt her cheeks grow red. “What … what do you mean?”

“Oh, come on, Taylor. You can’t tell me you didn’t come across any gossipy tabloids about her. She changes her girls like other people their towels.”

Cara furrowed her brows at Taylor and took a sip of her drink. “I’m just saying. You’re totally her type.”

Taylor breathed out audibly. She suddenly felt weirdly protective of Karlie. “No. No she didn’t ‘make a move’ on me.” She made air quotations.

“Why are you getting nervous, then? Do you want her to?”

Taylor’s eyes went wide. “What? No.”

Cara furrowed her eyebrows again. “I only got here 12 hours ago but I can tell that something is up. What have you blonde lesbians been up to while I was gone?”

“I … we … we haven’t been up to anything.” Taylor put her head in her hands in embarrassment.

“Not here, at least” she added quietly. Cara still heard her.

“What was that?”

Taylor looked around them for fear someone might be eavesdropping, but most fans had left their seats, were talking to each other or watching the halftime show. She really didn’t want to have this conversation right now, but she also couldn’t lie to her friend and she knew Cara wouldn’t let her off the hook that easily, anyways.

“She … she was the girl I hooked up with at the bar a year ago. Remember? When we went there with Todrick and you went home early, and Todrick told me to let loose and enjoy my new-found freedom in New York.” She exhaled.

Cara was looking at Taylor like she had just revealed a state secret. She put her iPad away and pointed a finger at Taylor’s chest.

“You …” she spoke at low volume and Taylor was grateful for it, “slept with Karlie Kloss “ she nodded her head towards the big screens that were playing highlights of the first half, “actual Olympic athlete, league MVP and champion, four time all-star, top scorer, and biggest womanizer I have ever met?”

She withdrew her finger. “Wow.”

“I didn’t … I didn’t know who she was at the time”, Taylor said weakly.

Cara burst out laughing. Then her expression turned into confusion. “Oh, you’re serious. You can’t be serious. Bloody hell. You didn’t know who she was?”

Taylor rubbed her temple and gave Cara a quick run-down of what had happened since she had seen Karlie again. Cara’s amusement grew by the minute.

“Oh, that’s brilliant. I love this”, she chuckled.

“Cara, please. It’s so embarrassing. I don’t know what to do.”

Cara shrugged. “Honestly, she doesn’t seem to remember you. You can totally tell her if you want to embarrass yourself, but I doubt she’s going to care. She sleeps with a lot of girls. From what I’ve heard she’s had worse from girls who had fallen madly in love with her and couldn’t face the fact that it had been a one-time thing.”

Taylor only hummed in response. “If you say so. Todrick advised me to not tell her during the tournament to not distract her, but that I should eventually tell her to not make it even more awkward for me.”

“Wait, Taylor … you don’t have feelings for her, right? You said you didn’t leave her your number and it was just a hook-up, right?” Cara asked, her tone softer.

“Yeah. I don’t have feelings … I don’t think” Taylor said carefully, avoiding Cara’s gaze. She once again thought about how different things would have been if she had indeed left Karlie her number.

“But I do like being around her. She’s easy to talk to and fun to be around. It doesn’t seem like it but we have a lot in common.”

Cara narrowed her eyes. “When do you guys hang out? You mean when you interview her for Vibrant?”

“No.” Taylor cleared her throat. “She invited me out to their team dinner after that incident at the press conference. And we went to lunch together the other day.”

“The two of you?”

“Yeah.”

Taylor suddenly realized how that sounded. “I swear, she’s not- she’s just being nice, is all. Because I got assigned here so last minute and don’t actually know what I’m doing. She explained so much about basketball to me, too. And she said she’s read my articles for Vibrant before.”

Cara hummed in response.

“So, I’m really sure she doesn’t remember me. She’s just fun to be around, and easy to talk to” Taylor repeated.

“I believe you, Taylor” Cara said.

“Just be careful with her. I respect her as an athlete, but I don’t want you to get your heart broken. The Olympics are a bubble far removed from reality.” Her voice was soft now, even though she still found the entire thing amusing.

Taylor nodded.

The buzzer went off, indicating the end of the break. They watched the teams enter the court again, and soon enough the third quarter was underway.

Cara took up taking notes on her iPad again, while Taylor watched Karlie intently.

“I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t left the bar early that night”, Cara mumbled to herself during a time-out.

Karlie hit four more high-light reel worthy three pointers as well as a block in the fourth quarter that had the entire arena on its feet. The US won 81-77, progressing to the finale in their quest for another Gold medal.

* * *

Todrick replies only a few minutes later, despite the time difference. Taylor is only one stop away from her hotel. She smiles at his message, telling her he’s proud of her for being honest with Karlie. He has added a picture of her cat Meredith, scowling at the camera from across the room. It makes her laugh.

Taylor still feels embarrassed, but also relieved. It could have been worse. She feels like she can still face Karlie if they ever meet again in New York. So yeah, in hindsight things would be a lot different and probably less embarrassing for her right now if Cara wasn’t so clumsy all the time. But Taylor feels oddly positive.

It’s a few weeks later when she learns that it’s not the whole story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is how part I ends ... what do you think will happen in part II when we get to know Karlie's side of the story (and much more)? do you like the non-linear narrarive so far or is it confusing? do you think Taylor should have just not said anything to Karlie? I'm always happy about feedback!  
> The next update will take a while, I already have everything written but I'm moving to another country on the weekend (that's a good enough excuse not to update, right? :P)   
> see you all soon!


	4. Part II - KARLIE

Hindsight is 20/20. Karlie has always known that saying, but now she understands it. No, she really gets it now. She looks back at last summer, and at all the little things that connect it to this summer.

In a way, it had been her own messy habits that had led to this. Catching feelings had never been part of the plan. In fact, there hadn’t even been a plan. It had only been one night like countless others. Except that it hadn’t been like the countless others at all. She’s about to face her worst fear, her one chance of fixing everything, and it had all started with one night, one summer ago.

* * *

Karlie woke up from a police siren on the street. The sound of traffic came in through her open window, along with warm, stuffy air that indicated it was way past the early morning hours.

She rolled around in her bed; eyes still closed. There was an unfamiliar but pleasant scent lingering between her sheets. The memories of the night before came rushing back to her and she was instantly fully awake. Her eyes snapped open.

Her sheets were a tangled mess, and her clothes from the night before were on the floor. It wasn’t that unusual, but something about it unnerved her. She looked down at herself. She was naked and her body felt sore. There was a hickey below her breast.

Her bed was empty, and there were no sounds coming from anywhere in her apartment that indicated the person who had given her the hickey last night was still there. Again, this was nothing unusual. And yet …

 _Taylor_. She remembered her name. It was a beautiful one. She quickly sat up in bed, then groaned when her head started pounding. Karlie got up to get a glass of water. Her throat felt dry and her body was sticky with sweat.

After a cold shower and over a fresh cup of coffee, she thought of the woman who had been in her bed last night. Taylor. She remembered her long, wavy hair and her bright blue eyes. She remembered dancing with her, making out with her on the dancefloor and in the back of the taxi. They had been tipsy, enough to lower their inhibitions, but not completely drunk.

Karlie took the last sip of her coffee and suddenly wished she had been drunk enough to not remember. She wasn’t sure why. She was hungover and sore, but that wasn’t unusual. She did this all the time. Taking a pretty girl home from a bar and then waking up alone the next morning. They sometimes left their numbers on a note on her nightstand, but she never called them or saw them again.

At that thought, she stood up hastily and rushed back to her bedroom. There was no note on the nightstand. She wasn’t sure why she wanted there to be. It wasn’t like she had ever made use of the numbers left for her.

She sighed and started picking up her clothes from the floor. Finding her phone underneath, she saw a couple of unread messages. Her heartrate picked up. They were from Jourdan after Karlie had left the night before. Karlie sighed again, then realized there couldn’t have been a message from Taylor anyways – she hadn’t given her her number. In a last attempt, she checked her Instagram. Nothing.

She called Jourdan with shaky hands.

“Karlie?” Jourdan answered on the first ring.

Karlie cleared her throat. “Yeah, hi. Good morning.”

“It’s 11 am” Jourdan deadpanned. She sounded a lot livelier than Karlie felt.

“Karlie, are you okay?” her friend asked when she didn’t reply.

“Did something happen last night? Is the girl still there and you want to get rid of her?” She chuckled, but there was concern in her voice. Karlie calling her the morning after a party was definitely unusual.

“No” Karlie said and sighed. “I’m having the opposite problem, actually.”

“What?”

“What?”

“What did you just say? You wish that girl was still there?” Jourdan asked incredulously.

Karlie was shocked at her own statement, and at hearing it back from Jourdan so directly. Understanding dawned on her. Yes, this was actually what had felt off this morning. She had hoped to find Taylor still there when she woke up.

She told Jourdan as much, and her friend was silent for a while on the other end of the line. “Wow.”

“I don’t know, Jourdan … she didn’t leave her number. Why do the girls I don’t care about leave their numbers but she didn’t? Oh God, maybe she thought it was bad?” Karlie was pacing around her bedroom, running her fingers through her still damp hair.

“Karlie!” Jourdan shouted. “What’s wrong with you? She’s just another girl you slept with, jeez. Since when does that freak you out?”

Karlie didn’t know the answer to that.

“What do you know about her?” Jourdan asked after a moment, her tone reconciliatory.

“I … oh God, I only know that her name is Taylor. I think she’s around my age. She was at the bar with a friend, I saw them sitting in a booth talking when we came in. But I don’t know her last name, or her friend’s name, or where she works, or if she’s even from New York …” Karlie kept rambling, realizing how futile her situation was.

Jourdan interrupted her. “But you don’t think she was a fan? She didn’t know who you are?”

“I … no, I don’t think so. She didn’t seem to recognize me, not even when I told her my name.”

Karlie was aware of the reputation she had and what the tabloids wrote about her. Deleting past hook-up’s comments off of her Instagram pictures was a routine activity. It was just that she didn’t care about any of it.

At the other end of the line, Jourdan sighed. Karlie could hear her say something to someone, probably her boyfriend, and move to another room.

“And she definitely wasn’t straight” Karlie added after a little thought, earning a giggle from Jourdan.

“Is Karlie Kloss having feelings for a girl she hooked up with? Do I need to look outside to see if pigs are flying?” her friend teased her.

“Jourdan!” Karlie groaned, but couldn’t help but grin.

She looked around her bedroom and did her best not to think about how badly she wanted Taylor back here. Maybe they would be drinking coffee together right now? The thought startled her, and she started pacing again.

“Karlie, do you want to come over for lunch later?” Jourdan asked. “As amusing as I find this situation, I’m actually a little concerned right now. You sound distraught. And we have an important game tomorrow so the team can’t afford you to have your thoughts elsewhere” she added and laughed.

Karlie agreed, thankful for her teammate and friend’s thoughtfulness. She washed the sheets, trying to get the thought of the woman she met the night before out of her head.

It was hopeless. Karlie played her worst game of the season the next day, and her coach benched her for the entire fourth quarter. Her teammates looked at her confused, but didn’t inquire. Jourdan urged her to get her shit together.

The next Friday, Karlie managed to convince Jourdan to go back to Sunset and Vine. A few of their teammates went along, but Karlie was restless all night. She refused to drink more than two beer, and when she suggested they leave at 1am without picking up a girl, the others knew something was up.

“You’re being ridiculous” Jourdan told her not for the first time that night.

“Why didn’t you dance with that girl? She was cute.”

Karlie only mumbled in response.

Jourdan sighed. “You need to forget her.”

Their other teammates watched the interaction.

“Karlie, what’s up? Did you want to meet anyone here?” Toni, their point guard, asked.

Karlie looked down at her feet. “Kinda … I met a girl here last weekend but didn’t get her number. I hoped to see her again today.”

Jourdan snorted at the understatement of the year, but didn’t say anything. Karlie and Toni had dated in college, but they were now good friends. Nevertheless, Jourdan knew it could be awkward discussing your current love life (or lack thereof) with your ex.

Toni put her hand on Karlie’s shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. “She must be special then. I hope you see her again. But we should get you home, you don’t look like you want to be here anymore.”

Karlie only nodded, but felt thankful for her words.

The group split, half of them staying at the bar and half of them sharing a taxi home. Karlie did her best not to think about the same taxi ride she had shared with Taylor a week earlier. Her feelings were confusing to her. The feelings themselves, and the fact that they were there, tugging at her chest, in the first place.

Once her head hit the pillow, she couldn’t stop a few tears from falling. She hated that it had come to this. She had forgotten what it was like to be drawn to someone in a way that wasn’t simply physical. She felt ridiculous. She didn’t know anything about Taylor. And it had affected her play. Something that was never, ever supposed to happen. Not in the middle of the season, not when playing against the first in the league, a spot they had been working hard to get back for weeks. Not because of someone who didn’t even know who Karlie was.

And yet, Karlie thought, it was one of the reasons she had enjoyed being with Taylor. The other woman clearly hadn’t sought her out to brag about getting laid by the two-time MVP in Karlie’s Instagram comments. She clearly hadn’t used Karlie as a bi-curious experiment. And she clearly had only meant for it to be a one-time thing …

Karlie’s thoughts kept running in circles. They did until she fell asleep that night, and they kept doing it for the next couple of weeks.

The next week their team had three away games in a row, and Karlie couldn’t go back to the bar on Friday. The road trip was a welcome distraction, and she managed to keep her thoughts focused on the court.

The next Friday and the one after that, however, Karlie dragged Jourdan back to the same bar. It went just the same; Karlie refused to get drunk, claiming she needed to be on her guard when she would eventually meet Taylor again, and refused to even talk to other girls. Especially not the ones with blue eyes and blonde hair.

“Karlie, how long do you want to keep doing this? I want the best for you and I wish you had a way of contacting Taylor, but you need to stop. It’s not healthy.” Jourdan said softly during one of those nights while they were sitting in a booth.

Karlie took a sip of her beer and sighed. “I know. I just … I don’t know. You’re right.” She smiled weakly at her friend.

“Thank you for coming along, Jourdan. I really appreciate it. I know I’m kind of a hopeless mess these days.”

Jourdan squeezed her hand. “It’s alright. You know I will support you even when I think you’re being ridiculous.”

They shared a laugh, and Karlie’s chest felt a little lighter.

She didn’t forget about Taylor and still looked out for her everywhere she went _(maybe she would see her at the supermarket. That’s how it always was in the movies, right?)_ , but she knew she had to move on to not let it consume her.

The next weekend the team went out to celebrate their win at their away game in D.C., and Karlie invited a girl to her hotel room for the night. Things went back to normal for Karlie after that, picking up girls from her never-ending stream of suitors.

She shut out her emotions. She focused all her energy on playing basketball. They had a championship title to defend, and the Olympics to qualify for, after all.

* * *

She lets out a deep breath and knocks on Taylor’s door.


	5. Part II - KARLIE

Karlie crinkles the fabric of her shirt, then wipes her clammy hands on her shorts. She knows Taylor is there, she heard the frantic footsteps behind the door when she knocked.

With each passing second, her anxiety increases. _Maybe Taylor doesn’t want to see me. Maybe it was a mistake to come here. Oh God, she hates me. I can never fix this._

She jumps slightly when a neighbor opens his door and shuts it loudly, but he doesn’t even see her as he walks towards the staircase. Somewhere on the floor a dog barks, then it’s quiet again.

She has only been at Taylor’s once. There’s a dull ache in her chest at the memory. They had cooked together, then watched a nature documentary, and then made out on the couch for what felt like forever before finally finding their way to Taylor’s bed. Karlie remembers how good it all had felt, how familiar.

She had been lying to Taylor through all of it. She lets out a shaky sigh. _Maybe I don’t deserve a second chance. Or a third chance, depending on how we’re counting. Maybe romance isn’t for me. I shouldn’t have come here._

Karlie internally debates whether she should leave or not. She has been standing in front of Taylor’s door for a good three minutes. If she just goes home, she can call Jourdan and cry to her, like she has done so many times before. Tell Jourdan she had been wrong, that she can’t fix this. Nevertheless, she stays rooted to her spot.

She is pulled out of her downward spiral when the door opens in one swift motion. She stumbles back a step, not expecting the sudden action. When she looks up she sees Taylor, a hand on the doorknob. She’s in her sweatpants and an old college t-shirt, her curly hair in a messy bun. She’s wearing her glasses, something Karlie has seen on her only once before.

The sight makes Karlie’s heart beat out of her chest. They stare at each other for a long moment before Taylor clears her throat and speaks up.

“Come in.”

Karlie moves forward slowly, like Taylor could change her mind any second and slam the door in her face. It doesn’t happen, though, and Taylor closes the door quietly behind her.

“So?”

Karlie thinks Taylor wants to appear nonchalant, but the slight hitch in her voice gives her away. She doesn’t know if she should feel relieved or not that their situation has affected Taylor just as much as her.

“Can we talk?” Karlie croaks out, looking anywhere but Taylor’s face.

One of Taylor’s cats, the smaller white one – Olivia, Karlie remembers fondly – is sitting on the couch. Taylor leads them there, and the little cat jumps down and runs into the other room. It’s like she knows a serious conversation is about to happen and wants to escape the palpable tension in the room. Karlie can’t blame her.

“I need you to know that I’m truly sorry” Karlie starts once they sit down and Taylor gives her an expectant look.

“I messed up. I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t believe I lied to you. I’m … not that kind of person.” She takes a deep breath.

“During the Olympics, I knew I couldn’t bring up what had happened between us a year before. Yes, I remembered you.”

Taylor looks up at her, like this is the explanation she’s been waiting for. Karlie takes another deep breath, and then she explains everything to her, in as much detail as she can remember. She’s been thinking about it so much in the past week, the words just come tumbling out of her, like they’ve been waiting at the tip of her tongue all along. Karlie talks and talks, and Taylor doesn’t interrupt her.

She feels a weight fall off her shoulders. It feels good to be sitting next to Taylor again. Her presence has always had this effect on her, even now that she’s not sure if Taylor will forgive her. If she wants her back in her life the same way as before, or at all. The anxiety still sits deep in Karlie’s chest, but it’s not prominent in this moment.

“You mean something to me, Taylor. You really do. I apologize for ever making you feel like you didn’t. When I was looking for you a year ago … I felt so scared of my own emotions. I felt so scared that I might never meet you again. And then you came back into my life, and I messed it up. I want to fix everything, whatever it takes.”

Taylor regards her for another long moment. Karlie sees her wringing her hands in her lap.

“You hurt me, Karlie. You lied to me.” Her voice is quiet.

Karlie hums in response. There’s nothing to euphemize the truth behind Taylor’s words.

“But-“ Taylor leans forward a little and searches for something on Karlie’s face.

“You mean something to me too. I’ve been having a good time with you. I was serious about what I said to you, that I feel confident around you. A year ago, when we met at Sunset and Vine, the hook-up meant nothing to me. But then I got over my initial shock at seeing you in Tokyo, and I started to get to know you as a person. And I thought this was going somewhere …” She trails off, her gaze never leaving Karlie’s face.

Karlie bites her lip. “It was going somewhere. I was just … I was just stupid. I’ve never been in an adult relationship. What you read about me in the tabloids … it was all true. Until I met you.”

She knows how cheesy she sounds. She knows how uneven her voice is and how desperate she must sound. Her chin starts to quiver and she tears her eyes away from Taylor to look at her hands in her lap.

“I was terrified of the change. I don’t even know why I kept the lie going after we came back to New York. I’m truly sorry, Taylor. I really want to fix this. If you want space, I will give you space. If you want to start over right now, we can do that. Please?”

She bites her lip again to stop her chin from quivering. Taylor looks at her with that intense gaze again.

“Karlie …” Taylor moves closer and puts a hand on Karlie’s arm.

“I believe you. I accept your apology. I want to try this with you, wherever this is going. We’re gonna take it slow. But no more lies. In my last relationship we both failed to communicate, and I want to be better, too. We will be honest with each other from now on, about everything. Okay?”

Karlie can only nod. Taylor moves closer, her face only an inch away from Karlie’s now. Karlie gulps at the proximity. Taylor smiles softly, then brings their lips together.

It’s chaste, short and sweet. It’s over before she remembers to close her eyes. And yet it feels like the best kiss she’s ever had. It feels like their first kiss, in a way. Not drunk and urgent in the middle of a bar, but intimate and meaningful despite the fact that it lasted barely a second.

Taylor puts distance between them again. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

Karlie pulls herself out of her daze. She takes the question as her cue to leave and slowly gets up.

“Yeah.” She smiles at Taylor, and Taylor smiles back, then gets up too.

They hold hands on the short way to the door. Karlie doesn’t say anything. She’s leaving, but it’s not a goodbye. It’s a new start. Tomorrow, they will start over. Slowly. Taylor doesn’t say anything either, but there’s a soft glint in her eyes when Karlie turns around once she’s in the hallway.


	6. Part II - KARLIE

When Karlie steps out onto the street, she realizes it has begun to rain. She curses under her breath and walks faster. Taylor lives in a quiet side street and it’s a little bit of a walk towards the next metro station. She doesn’t have a jacket, and the rain feels cold against her skin. She doesn’t come far when without a warning, a loud thunder bursts through the air, immediately followed by a large and heavy downpour.

Karlie is soaked in seconds and seeks refuge in the entrance of a small shop. She can see other people on the street either do the same or start running. Her teeth are clattering. _Damn it_ , she thinks. _I can’t catch a cold, we have two away games next week._ She shuts her eyes and wishes the thunderstorm away.

Her earlier conversation with Taylor still on her mind and the taste of her lips still lingering on her mouth, she thinks back to Tokyo and to everything that led her to having to apologize to Taylor in the first place.

* * *

Karlie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her. Her teammate bumped into her, and Karlie dropped the ball onto the floor. It bounced a few times, then rolled away. Karlie paid it no mind.

“Karlie?”

The tall athlete wasn’t listening. Her eyes had zeroed in on the figure of the person who had just entered the gym. It was a woman, a bag thrown over her shoulder and a stack of paper in her arms. She was glancing nervously around the gym, then headed towards the bleachers. Karlie watched her sit down and study her notes. It seemed like she hadn’t noticed Karlie.

 _It’s her._ It was all Karlie could think. _It’s Taylor_. Even from the distance, there was no mistaking it. Karlie knew from the way her blonde hair was falling over her shoulder and from the way she carried herself. She had only seen her for one night of her life, but she would recognize her anywhere. The woman who still occupied Karlie’s thoughts before she fell asleep at night, whose face she secretly looked for in every crowd, who she wished she was kissing every time she took another girl home. _Taylor._

“Karlie?” Her teammate asked again.

Karlie snapped out of her daze. She felt like the world had slowed down, but it had only been a couple of seconds. The ball she had dropped was still rolling across the field. The teammate at the other end of the court whom she had meant to pass it to picked it up and threw it back. Karlie caught it.

“Oh, sorry. I just remembered something.” She tried to appear nonchalant.

“Who’s that who just came in?”

Her teammate looked towards the bleachers. She shrugged. “Must be the new reporter that coach was telling us about. We have an interview after practice, remember?”

“Oh. Right.” Karlie breathed out audibly. It had slipped her mind. She still felt jetlagged.

They rounded up their practice with simple lay-up’s and give-and-go’s, then coach told them to take a quick shower.

Once inside the locker room, Karlie searched for her agenda in her bag and pulled out the schedule. It was written there clear as day: _Saturday, July 18 th. Saitama Super Arena. Light Practice 1-2:30 PM. Subsequent interview w/ Taylor Swift*, Vibrant Magazine. * Substitute for Cara Delevingne._

Their usual reporter, Cara, wasn’t in Tokyo yet. Right. She knew that. She hadn’t given the substitute much thought. And yet, it had been right in front of her. Cara, the reporter, knew Taylor, apparently also a reporter and coincidentally the woman who had been on Karlie’s mind for a year.

Karlie sat down on the bench with a sigh, trying to process everything. Her teammates were already starting to shower. She couldn’t believe that Taylor was working for Vibrant Magazine. Had she already been working there when they met? She surely wasn’t a sports journalist, or she would have recognized Karlie at the bar?

She took her phone and quickly googled her name. A picture of Taylor and a guy Karlie recognized as the friend who had been with Taylor at the bar appeared. She opened the article to find it was about the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots from the year before. The two reporters had been photographed at the New York pride parade. She sighed deeply. She had been there last year, too.

She kept scrolling and let out a small yelp at the article she saw next. One of her teammates looked at her with a confused face, but she barely noticed. The article was a review written by Taylor, on a book that had won some prizes last fall. Karlie had bought the book based on this review and then even gotten it for her older sister for Christmas because she had loved it so much. She put her phone away and her head in her hands. She needed a minute to process all of this.

“Karlie, get up and into the shower. We have an interview in fifteen minutes. Don’t make coach mad on the first day in Tokyo!”, one of her teammates shouted.

She dragged herself into the shower. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute. Taylor worked for Vibrant Magazine. She had even read one of her articles before. And now she was in Tokyo. As a substitute for Cara. Cara, who was friends with Jourdan. She nearly rubbed shampoo into her eyes at the last thought. Suddenly she couldn’t get out of the shower quickly enough.

She threw on their assigned team t-shirt and shorts and quickly brushed her hair. Then she grabbed her phone again and called her friend.

“Karlie?” Jourdan sounded confused.

“Jourdan. She’s here.”

Her friend was silent on the other end of the line. “Who? Beyoncé? Michelle Obama? The Queen? I didn’t know the Queen had an interest in women’s basketba-”

“Taylor!” Karlie felt out of breath. “She’s here. In Tokyo. At the gym.” She spoke at a low volume, not wanting her teammates to overhear. They paid no attention to her, anyways, everyone rushing to get ready and presentable for their interview.

“Oh. Wow.” Jourdan sounded stunned. “How did that happen?”

“She’s the substitute for Cara.”

“Oh, right. Because Cara broke her foot or something. She texted me yesterday.”

“Jourdan.” Karlie took a deep breath.

“Taylor works with Cara. You’re friends with Cara. You didn’t know about Taylor, right?” She gulped. She didn’t want to accuse her friend of anything. But she had to be sure.

“You wouldn’t keep that from me, right?” Karlie felt tears behind her eyes.

Jourdan took a deep breath as well before she answered. “No. No, Karlie, I didn’t know that. I would never keep something like that from you. I know how you were last year when you kept looking for Taylor. Cara and I aren’t that close, we go for drinks like once in a blue moon. I swear. She didn’t mention Taylor, either. I would have told you.”

Karlie is quiet for a second. “I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to accuse you. I’m a little overwhelmed is all.”

“I can imagine” Jourdan said softly.

“Why don’t you come over later? I’m at the Olympic Village with the team, we’re just getting settled in, and our practice doesn’t start until tomorrow. I’ll go to sleep early tonight because of the jet lag but you can come over and we can talk.”

Karlie nodded before she remembered Jourdan couldn’t see that. “Yeah, I’d love to. Thank you, Jourdan.”

“Of course. You have an interview with Taylor now?” Her friend asked.

“Yeah. In like five minutes. I don’t know what to do.” Karlie said honestly.

Jourdan hummed. “Just keep it professional. You don’t know if she remembers you, or – no offense – even wants to remember you. She must be busy, given her last minute assignment here in Tokyo, so please don’t put any additional stress on her. Just stay professional. You know the reputation that you have and you don’t want any rumors to distract from your performance here at the Olympics.”

Karlie bit her lip. Her friend was right. “Yeah. Thank you. I will.”

She wanted to say more, but their coach entered the locker room. “I have to go. See you later!”

They hung up, and she quickly threw her phone back into her bag and put on her shoes before coach could say anything.

The team left the locker room, and Karlie put on her best poker face, internally bracing herself to talk to Taylor.

***

As the plane touched down at JFK airport, Karlie let out a deep breath. Some of the teammates cheered for the pilot. Everyone was relieved to be back home.

Karlie wanted to go home and sleep off the jetlag and her emotions of the last 24 hours. She still couldn’t believe that her lunch with Taylor the day before had gone the way it did. She would have never believed for Taylor – shy, usually anxious Taylor – to bring it up. It being the fact that they had hooked up a year ago. She was ‘shook’, as her rookie teammates would say. So much that she hadn’t slept much last night, passing it off as lingering excitement from their Gold medal win to her roommate.

Before she knew it, the team was off the plane and on their way to their hotel. Karlie felt strange staying at a hotel in her own city where she very much had her own apartment and her own bed. They may have left Tokyo, but the celebrations were far from over. They were only just beginning. There would be a Victory Parade for the homecoming Olympians later that day.

Karlie tried her best to shake off the bone-deep exhaustion caused by her conflicting feelings and the hard-hitting jet-lag. One of her teammates yelled something about getting coffee at the hotel. Loud music was blasting through the speakers on the bus. The team was still pulsing with adrenaline 48 hours after their win.

She was proud of herself and her team for winning the Gold medal after defeating China in overtime 97-95. It had been a thrilling game. The US had been a clear favorite throughout the entire tournament, but the finale was always tough. Karlie smiled to herself at the memory of her family celebrating with her and the team on the court afterwards and hanging the Gold medal around her sisters’ necks, taking selfies with them.

It reminded her to text them that she had landed safely. Her family had gone home again the same night. She felt thankful that they had made the trip. She was about to put her phone back into her bag when it occurred to her to text Taylor as well. The reporter had taken an earlier flight than the team.

Karlie figured that Taylor must be napping, but she replied immediately. She could feel her heartrate pick up. Texting Taylor casually was new. In Tokyo she had only texted her details where to meet for lunch or dinner.

Her thoughts inevitably went back to the day before. Taylor had seemed so embarrassed to tell her about their hook-up. Karlie simply couldn’t bring herself to tell her the truth, that she remembered her very well, had known who she was from the second Taylor had stepped into the gym before the first interview. That she had been looking for her a year ago, been coming back to Sunset and Vine countless times.

Karlie knew that Taylor had recognized her from the way the reporter had reacted that first day. The surprise had been written all over her face for a couple of seconds, then vanished instantly. Nevertheless, she thought it best to take Jourdan’s advice, pretend not to know her, and play it cool. She had a Gold medal to win, after all. She had to stay professional. She wanted her headlines to be about her performance, not about rumors with a blonde substitute reporter assigned to her team.

She tried her best to convince herself that she had acted in the right way. Tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind nagging about lying to Taylor. Especially now that she had her number, they were back in New York, and were not working together anymore. She wanted to ignore it for only a little longer, just until the celebrations were over and she could breathe again.

The bus came to a stop in front of the hotel. There was a small crowd gathered, waiting for the team to arrive. Karlie felt the jolt of excitement run through her body again as she put her phone back into her bag and followed her teammates off the bus. The fans’ screams drowned out her self-conscious thoughts, and she just let herself be celebrated for being an Olympic Gold medalist for the night.

***

Karlie heaved a sigh as she put the book away. She had been reading the same sentence over and over again, but the words wouldn’t connect in her brain. She tried to blame it on the heat, but she knew it wasn’t the real reason. She was sitting alone on a blanket in Central Park, sipping cold brew every now and then. The temperature was fine. It was her mind that kept running wild.

A couple of days after the Victory Parade, Karlie’s sleep schedule was recovering, as were her sore muscles. Now she was facing a problem she rarely had to deal with: boredom. The league wouldn’t resume until the beginning of the week. Jourdan and Toni, who had departed Tokyo much earlier than Karlie and her US team, spent the rare time off with their respective families in London and Hamburg. Karlie regretted not making the trip to see her parents in St. Louis.

She was doing her best to fill her time. She spent some time with her younger sister, but the girl had a life of her own and didn’t want her sister, Olympic Gold medalist or not, around 24/7. She facetimed Jourdan, who told her to get a life outside of basketball or for once in her life to just sit still and enjoy her peace and quiet. Eventually, she texted Taylor for book recommendations. As it turned out, it didn’t matter how good and intriguing the book was. Her mind kept wandering back.

Back to Taylor. Karlie knew she was probably being ridiculous. But she felt restless. She had gone from looking for Taylor a year ago, to trying to forget her, to unexpectedly meeting her again and seeing her almost every day for a month, to … well. This. Having her number, texting her occasionally. But not … having _her_.

She sighed again and took a sip of her cold brew. She had no idea if Taylor was even interested in being acquainted to her anymore. Or if she had a girlfriend, or was seeing anyone at all.

After letting her thoughts run in circles for a while longer, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

She texted Taylor.

Taylor was at her door the next day at a little before 5pm. Karlie barely processed how good Taylor looked with her hair in a high ponytail before she was crushed into a hug.

“Hey” Taylor said softly as she pulled away. Her smile was bright, like she was genuinely happy to see Karlie, with only a slight hint of shyness behind it.

Karlie needed another second to fully process Taylor’s presence.

“Hey. It’s good to see you” she finally replied and cleared her throat.

As she gave Taylor a quick apartment tour, it occurred to her that she had no idea what their plans were for the afternoon. She had been so stressed about inviting Taylor over at all that it had completely slipped her mind what they would actually _do_.

“Wow, are these all of your awards?” Taylor asked in awe, looking closely at the shelf in the living room.

It pulled Karlie out of her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, well. Not all of them. The stuff from college is back at my parents’ house.”

“Humblebrag” Taylor coughed, then laughed when she saw Karlie’s panicked face. It made Karlie laugh too.

Taylor inspected an MVP award, a small statue of a girl dribbling a basketball. “It’s so funny to me now that I didn’t know who you were a year ago. It seems like you’re everywhere now.” She turned to look at Karlie.

“I … yeah.” Karlie didn’t know what to say. She wondered why Taylor was able to bring up their hook-up so easily now. It didn’t seem like she was embarrassed anymore.

“I will definitely be going to your home-games from now on. With Cara, of course.” Taylor added and smiled.

“Oh. Really? Thank you. That … that means a lot.” Karlie usually wasn’t someone who felt awkward in conversations. Taylor seemed to be the exception to a lot of things for Karlie.

They sat down on the couch. Karlie felt her heartrate pick up. She really hadn’t planned this through.

Taylor smiled sweetly. “I did become interested in sports during my time in Tokyo. It does help that they have this really hot star player here in New York, too, though.” She gestured at Karlie, and her sweet smile turned into a grin.

Karlie heard her blood pulsing in her ears. She hoped she wasn’t blushing. She had no idea what to do with Taylor’s boldness.

“I know you didn’t remember me, but I’m still glad we met again.” Taylor continued.

Karlie cleared her throat. “Definitely.” She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that this would be a good opportunity to bring up the fact that she did in fact remember Taylor. Maybe even tell her of her search for her. But she could barely breathe in Taylor’s simple presence, let alone think clearly. So she didn’t bring it up.

“So, what did you want to do? Get some take-out and watch Netflix?”

The insinuation went right over Karlie’s head. She stared at Taylor, dumbfounded. “I … don’t know. Whatever you want.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on her lips. Karlie noticed that Taylor was fiddling with the hem of her shirt. It drew her attention to a little bit of exposed skin on her belly. She took in a sharp breath.

“You don’t know? I assumed you wanted to repeat what happened a year ago? To remember it this time?” Taylor’s voice was just as sweet as before, only a little bit lower.

It sent tingles all over Karlie’s body. She could definitely feel herself blushing now. “Oh. I … no. No. I mean. That’s not why I asked you to come over I-“

“It’s not?” Taylor raised an eyebrow. “Is the Karlie Kloss embarrassed because I implied having sex?”

Karlie bit her lip. “Taylor, I … did you really assume that’s all I want from you? Because it’s really not, I-“ She didn’t know how to finish her sentence.

Taylor tilted her head. “Alright. So, what do you want to do?”

It unnerved Karlie how nonchalant Taylor was. _She came here because she thought she’s getting laid. It doesn’t mean anything to her,_ a nagging voice in the back of her head was saying.

“Let’s get ice cream?” It was the first thing Karlie could think of when she snapped out of her thoughts.

Taylor laughed in response, then studied Karlie’s face for a moment with a more serious expression.

“Sure. I’d love to.” Her smile was sweet and innocent again.

As the afternoon went on, Karlie managed to regain her composure. Taylor was just as easy to be around as she had been in Tokyo. The conversation flowed with little silences in between, and on one occasion Karlie had to clutch her stomach and wipe away tears from laughing so hard.

Before Karlie knew it, they ended up back at her apartment. The sun had not yet start to set. Karlie ordered Chinese take-out.

“This is my last junk food of this week, basketball practice starts Monday!”, she declared and shoved the menu back into her kitchen drawer.

When she turned around, she noticed how closely Taylor was standing next to her. Her heart fluttered at the proximity, and she looked anywhere but Taylor. She took a step back and her hip made contact with the kitchen counter. She winced a little.

Her eyes slowly traced Taylor’s body up until she met her eyes. There was a mischievous glint shining behind the bright blue. Taylor lightly touched her arm. Karlie breathed out audibly.

Then Taylor’s lips were on hers. The kiss was short and chaste, Taylor clearly testing the waters. Nevertheless, Karlie wondered how she had managed to go for so long without the sensation. It was her who closed the distance a second time, pulling Taylor closer. Taylor’s lips tasted like strawberry ice-cream, and Karlie let herself get lost in it.

She felt every last bit of tension leave her body. Her only focus was Taylor. Now that she had her back, she never wanted to let go. Taylor was kissing her just as eagerly. Karlie let her hands roam over Taylor’s hips, her abdomen, her back. Taylor left a trail of kisses down Karlie’s neck, one hand boldly exploring her chest.

That night, Karlie went on a mission to memorize every inch of Taylor’s body. Every freckle, every curve, and every sound. She wanted to savor each second of Taylor’s presence. The universe had let them cross paths again, but Karlie knew not to rely on her luck. This one night could be all she had.

Karlie woke up in the middle of the night. There were no sounds of traffic coming from the street below, only Taylor’s soft breathing next to her. _Taylor_. Karlie wrapped her arm around Taylor’s abdomen, wanting to be close. She fell back asleep, engulfed in a sense of calm that was rarely hers to feel.

She woke up again a few hours later. This time it was from the soft rustling sound of Taylor moving around the room. She sat up in bed, blinking when she realized Taylor was getting dressed. Her heart sunk somewhere deep into her chest.

“Taylor?” Her voice came out raspy, and she cleared her throat. Her entire body felt sore. She wrapped the sheets around her naked chest.

“Oh. Good morning. I um … I was just leaving.” Taylor looked at her with a look in her eyes that Karlie couldn’t read.

“Stay?”

The simple word surprised them both.

Taylor’s eyes widened for a second. “Are you sure? It was just … this doesn’t have to mean anything. You don’t have to ask me to stay. I know that’s not your thing. I can just go.” Her voice was still hoarse with sleep, but her tone determined.

Karlie bit her lip. She had been an idiot to believe this would mean anything to Taylor. And it was her own fault. Taylor was right. Karlie didn’t do this. Girls always left in the morning, and Karlie never cared. Except now.

“No. Please stay? I can make us coffee. There’s a donut shop downstairs. If you don’t have anywhere to be?” She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate. She vaguely knew that it was Saturday and that Taylor didn’t have to go into work.

Taylor’s look softened. “Okay.” She put her purse down.

Karlie got out of bed, and while Taylor was in the shower, she laid out sweatpants and an old New York Daisies t-shirt for her to wear.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and eating donuts.

“Okay, _this_ is my last junk food before basketball practice!” Karlie said with her mouth full, and Taylor laughed.

Karlie felt butterflies in her stomach. She knew it had probably been a bad idea to ask Taylor to stay, but right now she felt like everything was right in the world.

“Thank you for letting me put off my walk of shame for another hour” Taylor grinned and gave Karlie a curious look.

Karlie took a sip of her coffee before she spoke. She didn’t really know what to say.

“I’m happy to have breakfast in your company.” It was the truth.

“Sorry, I’m just surprised, is all. I know it’s not your thing”, Taylor reiterated.

“No, Taylor …” Karlie took a deep breath. She didn’t know how to communicate her feelings towards Taylor. The other woman was evidently oblivious to them.

“I know I have quite the reputation. But I just …”

Taylor looked at her intently.

Karlie ran a finger through her still damp hair. “Would you go on a date with me?” She blurted it out before she could think about it.

“Are you serious?” Taylor’s eyes were wide, and she put the donut down on her plate. She looked at Karlie like she expected her to crack a joke about it.

Karlie bit the inside of her cheek “Yes.”

Taylor was silent for a moment, studying Karlie’s face. Karlie knew she must be looking desperate, maybe even pathetic, but she had nothing to lose.

After another moment, Taylor’s face broke into a smile. “I think I’d like that.”

***

“So why did you move to New York?”

It was a question Karlie had been meaning to ask Taylor for a while, after learning she hadn’t lived in the city for that long.

They were at a restaurant near Central Park, a fancier Japanese teppan yaki grill. Karlie had never been there before herself, but she had read good things. Besides, she wanted to go treat Taylor to somehow convey that she took the date seriously, and she had found a Japanese restaurant fitting after coming back from Tokyo.

“Oh. Quite a lot of reasons … I lived in L.A. before …” Taylor replied vaguely.

Karlie perked up. “L.A.? Wow. Is that where you were born and raised?”

“No” Taylor laughed. “I’m from Nashville.”

“You’ve moved quite around a bit” Karlie said, impressed. She took a sip of her wine. It might not have been proper style given her choice of restaurant, but she couldn’t stand sake. Taylor was drinking wine as well.

Taylor let out a sigh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

She looked at Karlie for a moment. “I … was in a relationship before I came to New York. A serious one. But we … it didn’t work out. I think I settled down too early, you know? We were like an old married couple, but not in a cute way. I think I forgot I was still in my 20s.”

Karlie nodded in response. She had never been in a serious relationship before in her adult life. Her last girlfriend had been Toni, but they had been in college. Their ‘dates’ would consist of secretly getting junk food at the drive-thru (their diets had been strictly controlled even at college) and then making out on Karlie’s dorm bed. She cringed a little at the memory.

“Do you enjoy your life here now? Did the distance help?”

Taylor smiled a little in response. “It does. It was very freeing to come here and start over. Todrick helped me a lot, too.”

Karlie had heard about Todrick a little during their time in Tokyo, though she had yet to properly meet him. Not counting the night she and Taylor initially met when she had seen him, because she wasn’t supposed to remember it.

“You went to college here in New York, right? Where did you grow up?” Taylor redirected the question at Karlie.

Karlie appreciated that Taylor asked her directly, knowing that she could have easily gotten the information from Wikipedia or her ESPN documentary from two years earlier when the Daisies had won the championship.

The waiter approached and started preparing their food on the grill in front of them. While they ate, Karlie told Taylor all about growing up in St. Louis with her three sisters and her dog.

Karlie couldn’t help but feel closer to Taylor the more they talked about personal things. Sure, they had talked during their lunches in Tokyo too, but this felt … different. Taylor could easily avoid Karlie now that she didn’t work with her anymore. And yet she was sitting right in front of Karlie, listening to her ramble and smiling. It was almost too much for Karlie.

She still wasn’t sure if Taylor hadn’t agreed to it only because she was taking a pity on her. Because she must’ve looked desperate with powdered sugar all over her face in her kitchen that morning about a week ago.

She focused back on the story Taylor was telling from her own college days, when she and her roommate had gotten locked in at the library late at night.

“We were so scared when we realized. But then we thought how awesome it was to stay there all night and read, so we did that. I finished all of my assigned reading for the whole semester that night. And we were the first in line for coffee the next morning.” Taylor laughed.

Karlie grinned at her. “So, what I’m getting from this is that you were the nerdy kid?” She shook her head. “And I played college basketball and got drunk at frat parties. I’m glad we met later on in life.”

Taylor laughed heartily at that. Karlie felt her heart flutter. She wanted to keep making Taylor laugh like that, to see her come out of her shell around her. It gave her some of her usual self-confidence back.

“You know,” Taylor started once their desserts had arrived, “I read the final version of your article in Vibrant today, because it’s coming out next week.”

Karlie tilted her head a little. “Yeah? Cara wrote it, right?”

“Yeah.” Taylor nodded.

“I was just surprised that it mentioned the incident at the press conference. I wanted to thank you again for sticking up for me that day. I was so embarrassed.”

“Of course, Taylor” Karlie said softly and reached out a hand to squeeze Taylor’s.

“As female athletes we have to deal with sexist questions all the time. I can handle them. But it wasn’t fair to you at all. Your questions were always great. Sure, you didn’t know about every player’s history and stuff, but most of the time in interviews we just want to keep the conversation light anyways, just a quick ‘good team win, on to the next round!’. We talk enough about statistics and analysis in our meetings, I’m telling you.” She chuckled, hoping it made Taylor feel better.

Her hand was still lingering on Taylor’s, and she pulled it away slowly. “Everyone enjoyed working with you. Please don’t worry about it anymore.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Taylor bit her lip, but smiled back at her.

At the end of the night, Karlie didn’t ask Taylor to come home with her. She hoped it conveyed that the date itself meant a lot to her. When they separated, she gave Taylor a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll see you at the game tomorrow?”

Taylor smiled back. “Of course. I can’t wait.”

***

The New York Daisies’ home-coming game was sold-out, and the stadium was bustling with energy. The fans were glad to have the whole team back. Karlie got the biggest applause before tip-off, showing off her Gold medal to the crowd. Jourdan and Toni were next to her, just as proud of Karlie as their fans.

Karlie looked over to the seats reserved for media, and smiled when she saw Taylor next to Cara, who was in her usual seat. She was determined to put on a good performance.

The Daisies won easily, overwhelming their opponent with 83-61. The fans loved it, and Karlie couldn’t remember the last time the crowd had been this loud during a regular-season game. When the game concluded and it was announced that Karlie had landed the fifth triple-double of her professional career, the cheers grew even louder. Karlie could only look up at the stands and smile widely. Winning Olympic Gold was fantastic, but being back home was just as good.

Cara interviewed her after the game, just like she always did. She still had her crutches with her, but could support herself and walk around just fine for the most part. Karlie was happy to see her again, too.

“Tokyo’s got nothing on a good home crowd, huh?” Cara asked, and Karlie laughed in response.

“And you’re on the September cover of Vibrant Magazine, congratulations!”

The fans cheered loudly, and Karlie gave the camera her wide signature smile. “Thank you! I’m really honored. It was a pleasure to work with you guys in Tokyo.”

Cara smiled too, then gave Karlie a mischievous wink when the camera briefly panned away from them towards the crowd.

They wrapped up the interview shortly after. Karlie gave another interview for ESPN and then stayed around to give signatures to fans. When she was finally free to go, the stands had emptied, and Taylor and Cara were long gone. Her heart sank a little, but at the same time she had no idea what she had expected.

Jourdan asked about Taylor in the locker room, but Karlie did her best to appear nonchalant.

“We just went on a date yesterday, Jourdan. It was nice enough of her to come to the game today, she must be sick of me already.”

Jourdan only replied with a hum and a raised eyebrow. Karlie sighed. She had been bothering Jourdan about the date all week at practice, and then the night before after she got home. She knew she couldn’t fool her best friend, but she was grateful that Jourdan didn’t push her.

When she got home, she was still buzzing with energy. It had been an afternoon game, and the exhaustion had not yet settled in the way it would after a late tip-off.

She texted Taylor to thank her for attending the game. Taylor texted back immediately: _You played well. Cara explained to me what a triple-double is. Congrats!_ Karlie laughed.

She didn’t know what made her do it, but after a moment she replied: _Do you want to come over?_

When there was no reply, she started freaking out. _I ruined it. I was supposed to take it slow_. She spent the next twenty minutes pacing around, waiting for her phone to buzz, drafting an apology text in her mind.

The ringing of her doorbell brought her back to reality. She looked through the spyhole and jumped when she saw Taylor in front of her door. She opened it, a rambled apology on her tongue when Taylor crashed into her. The kiss was quick and messy, and Karlie stumbled backwards a little as she held onto Taylor. The door closed behind them.

“Hey” Taylor said out of breath when they pulled apart. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Karlie stared at her for a moment. “Hey.”

She swallowed thickly. She was still holding onto Taylor’s waist, and she retreated her hand.

“You wanted me to come over?” Taylor grinned.

Karlie’s eyes went wide. “Yeah.” She studied Taylor’s face. “I was … you didn’t reply … I thought I messed it up. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s okay, Karlie. I’m here, right? I wanted to come over.” Taylor gently placed a hand on Karlie’s arm.

Karlie swallowed again. “Okay.” She still couldn’t believe it.

Taylor moved forward again until their fronts were touching. It made Karlie shiver, and she instinctively put a hand on Taylor’s back.

“This is okay, right?” Taylor asked quietly after a moment, a contrast to her previous rush.

Karlie’s heart was beating all too quickly nevertheless. “Yeah.”

She ran her hand up Taylor’s back, and then down again, slowly. It calmed her down a little.

Neither of them spoke for another long moment. Karlie leaned into Taylor’s touch. _I shouldn’t enjoy this so much._ The thought popped into her head. _She went on a date with me, but it doesn’t mean as much to her. I shouldn’t have asked her to come over._

“Why did you ask me to come over?” Taylor asked, as if reading her mind.

“I mean, not that I’m complaining.”

Karlie looked at Taylor’s face to see her eyebrows raised and the previous, flirty glint in her eyes.

“I …” She didn’t really have an explanation, or a good reason.

“I just wanted to see you.”

Taylor smiled in response, then leaned in for another kiss. It started out slowly, but soon enough Taylor started grazing Karlie’s bottom lip with her tongue, and Karlie let her in. She couldn’t help but make a small noise, and it caused Taylor to pick up the pace. Her hands were grabbing Karlie’s shirt, the earlier rush returning to Taylor’s movements. Karlie eagerly went along.

“Do you still have enough energy left after that triple-double?” Taylor asked when they pulled apart and smirked.

Karlie blushed. It didn’t go unnoticed by Taylor despite the dim light in the room.

“You asked me over, not for the first time might I add, and then you blush like a schoolgirl with a crush?” Taylor laughed good-naturedly.

“That’s cute.”

 _God, I feel like such an idiot around her._ It was all Karlie could think, and all she could do was look away from Taylor for a lack of response.

Taylor pressed a kiss to Karlie’s warm cheek. “You know,” she started, trailing a thumb along Karlie’s jawline, “you’re not at all like people say that you are. You know what I mean.”

She looked into Karlie’s eyes. “I like getting to know this side of you. And I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I feel different around you than when I am with other people. More confident.”

Karlie felt unable to say anything in return.

Taylor swallowed. “So, thank you. I really like this version of myself that you bring out.”

“I …” Karlie started, but the words died in her throat. She didn’t know how to tell Taylor that before her, she had actually been exactly the way the sports media and gossip sites were portraying her. That she only felt shy and like a complete idiot when she was around Taylor, and that she had no idea how to quell the lid on all of her emotions that threatened to spill over every time Taylor was in the same room as her.

So, she simply looked into Taylor’s eyes, trying to convey her feelings that way. She noticed they were a darker shade of blue than usual, and it reminded her of the previous times she had seen them that way.

She leaned in for a kiss, and Taylor reciprocated. From there it was a short way to the bedroom. Karlie knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she would have to talk to Taylor about her feelings at some point. Preferably, rather sooner than later. That night, however, she focused solely on the way Taylor felt underneath her and all the ways she could make her feel good.

***

“So, Taylor, it seems you’ve become a bit of a basketball fan recently, huh?” Jourdan asked from across the table and grinned.

Karlie saw Taylor blushing slightly, if only because she was sitting so closely in the narrow booth at Sunset and Vine. Their thighs had been pressed against each other all night, and it took all her not-yet-drunken effort to ignore the growing tingling sensation in her stomach. Karlie gave Taylor a reassuring squeeze on her knee below the table.

Taylor took a sip of her drink. “Yeah, actually. It’s fun to watch once you actually understand what’s happening on the court!”

Jourdan nodded. “I’m glad.” She laughed when Cara held up a hand for a high-five, which she returned.

“Finally, someone who listens to my always excellent analysis of NY Daisies stats!” Cara exclaimed, and everyone at the table shook their head in amusement.

“Just wait until Taylor becomes better versed in game stats than you, then _she_ will explain what a journey is to _you_!” Todrick chimed in.

The four women looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“A travel,” Karlie squeaked out between fits of laughter. “You mean a travel, Todrick.”

Cara was busy trying not to spit out her drink, having unfortunately taken a sip of her beer right when Todrick had spoken. The one currently being laughed at by his friends ducked his head, but grinned good-naturedly.

“Yeah, that. Whatever.”

It took them another minute or two to calm down. Karlie felt her abs hurt from laughing so much. She took a deep breath, Taylor next to her doing the same. Seeing Taylor’s face, all red from the laughter and the stiff air and the alcohol, made her think how lucky she was.

For the past two weeks, she had been seeing Taylor regularly, going for coffee and dinner. They had been texting when Karlie was out of town for away games, and Taylor had attended all three of their home games in that time period. Inviting Taylor over after a game had become a routine, too.

Them all sitting here at this very bar, it all felt like a dream. Neither she nor Taylor had brought up making things official between them; nevertheless, it felt natural. Karlie didn’t know what their friends assumed, but she appreciated that they didn’t probe. She wouldn’t have a good answer, anyways. Cara had raised an eyebrow earlier when Karlie had kissed Taylor as a greeting, but that was it.

The group talked lightly, and despite meeting Todrick for the first time, she could see why Taylor was friends with him. Karlie had been so occupied with her career for the last years, she barely had any real friends outside of her teammates. It felt good to talk about things other than basketball for once.

A little after midnight, Cara and Jourdan went to the bar to get their last round of drinks for the night. Instead of their hands full of glasses of beer, however, Jourdan came back to their booth looking frantic, Cara holding a mess of red stained kitchen towels pressed to her left hand in tow.

“What’s wrong?” Taylor’s eyes were wide with worry.

“I want to say that Cara was being her bloody – no pun intended – clumsy self again, but some bloody idiot dropped his bloody empty glass on the bloody counter where we were waiting and a bloody splinter of glass cut through her hand-“ Jourdan rambled all in one breath.

Karlie stood up and put a hand on her teammate’s arm.

“And now my hand is all bloody” Cara concluded and laughed. Todrick snorted in response.

“Let’s take a look” Karlie said and turned towards Cara. Her demeanor was collected compared to Jourdan and Taylor.

“I’m going to call an Uber, do you need to go to the ER?” Jourdan asked and winced when Karlie pulled the kitchen towels back to reveal the cut.

“It stings, but it doesn’t look too bad. It’s not like I cut off my hand” Cara joked to lighten the mood.

She turned to Todrick. “Why does this always happen here?”

“Oh my God, I just thought that, too. Last year, remember? When your hand got caught between the bathroom door?” Todrick laughed at the memory.

Cara’s eyes went wide, but not from the pain in her hand. “Right. I believe it was the night these two-“ she gestured between Taylor and Karlie with her good hand and wiggled her eyebrows.

Taylor blushed, and Karlie stopped tampering with the kitchen towels. The cut was still bleeding, and she motioned for Cara to apply pressure. She looked at the reporter intently.

“Oh, the night they hooked up?” Jourdan chimed in.

Karlie felt her heart jump into her throat. _No. No no no._

“What a wild night that was. You were there too, Cara? I didn’t even see you, I would have come over and said hi!”

“Well, you heard it, I injured my hand that night too, so I left early and left these two idiots alone.” Cara nodded towards Taylor and Todrick.

Karlie stood frozen to her spot, and noticed Taylor did, too. Something wasn’t right. Cara and Jourdan caught up a moment later.

“How …” Taylor started and cleared her throat. “How do you know Karlie and I hooked up a year ago, Jourdan? Karlie didn’t remember me?”

Jourdan’s jaw dropped. Cara and Todrick looked between them, confusion evident on their faces.

“Of course she remembered you, Taylor. You were all she talked about for months?” She turned towards her teammate.

“Right Karlie? You-“

“Enough!” It came out more aggressive than Karlie intended, and she saw Taylor wince. She ducked her head.

“Karlie, what is happening? What is she talking about? Did you remember me?” Taylor’s voice was small, barely audible over the music.

“Oh oh …” Cara uttered quietly and looked down at her hands.

“Taylor, I … it’s a little complicated.” Karlie didn’t dare look Taylor in the eyes.

Jourdan took in a deep breath next to her. Karlie felt her teammate stare daggers into her side and knew she had royally fucked up.

“I assumed you talked about everything, since you’re dating now and all …” Jourdan started but trailed off again.

“We’re not dating” Taylor said a little too hastily.

Karlie felt the words like a dagger to her heart. They were true. It made it worse. They weren’t official. She had been lying to Taylor for weeks. Her carefully constructed dream bubble was popping right in front of her, stinging in her chest like the cuts did on Cara’s hand. She had been a fool to think they could just go on like this forever.

Their friends all collectively gasped. Taylor paid them no mind and stared at Karlie, sadness and regret washing over her face.

“You lied to me. I should have known better. You told me this meant something to you, and I started to believe it. It started meaning something to me, too. I guess I was wrong about you. You’re just like your portrayal in the tabloids. All I’ll ever be is just another notch in your belt. Joke’s on me now, I guess.”

She gave Karlie one last lingering stare, then grabbed her purse from the bench, turned around and made her way through the crowd of people towards the exit.

Karlie still stood frozen in her spot. She wanted to run after Taylor, to apologize and reassure her of her feelings. But Todrick already made his way after his friend, and she was left with Jourdan and Cara.

“Why are you so stupid, Karlie?” Jourdan yelled at her and shook her shoulders.

It brought Karlie out of her trance. Instead of moving away from her friend, however, she grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. She let out a loud sob, holding onto Jourdan for dear life. All Jourdan could do was soften and pat her back.

“You’re so stupid, Karlie” she reiterated, quietly this time. “I’m truly sorry for bringing it up, I had no idea you didn’t tell Taylor the truth after the Olympics. I just assumed you talked it out and all was well. Why are you such an idiot sometimes?”

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

“Cara, our Uber is here. I’m taking you to the ER so you can get stitches.”

She separated from Karlie. “You’re coming with us, we’ll have the driver drop you off at home.”

Cara had gone silent, realizing the mess they had created. She only grabbed her own purse and waited for them to leave.

Karlie nodded along and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt drunk, and sad, and so, _so_ stupid. Going home to cry in peace sounded like a fantastic idea, given the unexpected twist this promising night had taken.

Jourdan squeezed her shoulder as they walked out. “You’re going to fix it, Karlie. I know you can. I believe what Taylor and you have is special.”

* * *

Karlie doesn’t know how long she’s been standing there, but she notices that the thunder has subsided and the rain has gotten lighter. She decides to continue her way home. Before she walks out from under the shop front, however, she pulls her phone out of her purse to check the time. She jolts for two reasons. One of them being the lateness of the evening, and the other being a message from Taylor. She opens her messages, ignoring Jourdan’s texts asking how everything went and if she needed a shoulder to cry on.

 _I just noticed there’s a thunderstorm. I’m so sorry for sending you on your way. If you’re still close you_ _can come back and wait it out._

Karlie’s heartrate picks up speed, and she smiles fondly. After everything, she is relieved that they have gone back to where they were before, just with more honesty and reassurance. Maybe she does deserve another chance after all. Maybe romance is for her, too, after all.

She suddenly knows what she has to do. She texts Taylor a quick _‘I’m coming back to your place’_ , then tugs her phone into her purse and walks into the direction she came from with determination in her step.

She wants to take a hot shower, wear a pair of Taylor’s sweatpants and drink a cup of tea. She wants to prepare them sandwiches from the leftovers in Taylor’s fridge for dinner. Then she wants to kiss Taylor again.

They’re going to take things slow, she reminds herself as she wipes a wet strand of hair out of her face. When she turns around the corner into Cornelia Street, it feels like a new beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story and the narrative style.
> 
> *
> 
> This story is a work of fiction. The words, thoughts and actions of characters based on real-life people in this story are purely fictional and are not meant to imply any real-life resemblance. The other characters are original characters, any resemblance towards real-life people is purely coincidental and unintentional. Places, businesses, incidents and events are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. The magazine name 'Vibrant' was borrowed from 'The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo' by Taylor Jenkins Reid, no copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Characters based on real persons:  
> Taylor Swift, Karlie Kloss, Todrick Hall, Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Toni Garrn, Alex Morgan.


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